I think you're right about a 'revolution' if the FCC tried to mandate 6.25 khz anytime soon. However, I've learned (the hard way) the FCC can do anything that they want to do, no matter what. I owned over 30 800 mhz SMR channels back in the mid to late 80's and up until 1999. Back when Nextel, then known as Powerfone, was starting to put together their 'plan' for use of the 800 mhz spectrum for a 'cellular-like' network, I commented to my father that this would never happen. There were FCC rules that clearly would 'block' the execution of their 'plan'.
But that didn't stop them.
They got waivers of those rules, and then eventually, got the rules changed to allow them to do what they wanted to do. As time went on, the FCC started looking at auctioning spectrum. Again, it didn't look too promising for those who wanted that (such as Nextel (Powerfone had changed their name by then)), but then on a Friday, the FCC released a rather 'thick' document (I think it was around 100 pages or so) covering all kinds of things that they'd been working on. Then they went on a 2 week vacation (all of the FCC commissioners, all at once). Buried, in the middle of that document, was a single sentence that 'froze' all licensing of 800 mhz SMR spectrum (the spectrum that we were using), effective immediately. No one could license anything new (like to add sites to your system, or even to add new channels to a system).
We realized that this was in preparation for auctioning the 800 mhz SMR spectrum and the auction plans of the FCC were going to go forward, no matter what anyone else wanted otherwise. Of course, Nextel won 80% of the spectrum that was still available in the 800 mhz band, and they ended up buying most of the rest of it. It completely shut down almost the entire 800 mhz SMR 'business world'. Thousands of businesses, all over the U.S., who had been using SMR radio service and spending around $15 to $25 per month per mobile for service, within 1 to 5 years were having to pay $50 per month per 'radio' on Nextel's new system.
And I never thought that it could happen, because the FCC rules wouldn't allow it. Yeah.....right.....
John Rayfield, Jr. CETma
John,
Thanks for the Shulman Rogers reference; it will come in handy in the future. I believe that if the FCC did any further narrowbanding requirement in the near term that they'd have a full scale revolution on their hands, so it's not likely to happen.
Apropos of nothing, have you seen the ARRL notes about discussions going on at WARC about amateurs getting new UHF frequencies in the 470 mHz area? It just appeared in QST for February.
Regards,
Tom, W2NJS