There is some history on this, but Chris is in the Cayman Islands for the next several days and I will not be in the office again until at least January 3, so I don't think it will be possible to provide the whole story in the next few days.
Briefly, a lifetime operator license is possible under the Communications Act but a lifetime station license is not. Because the two are combined in a single document in the case of an amateur license, providing for a lifetime operator license is somewhat problematic.
ARRL petitioned for a lifetime operator license in 1994. I can't quote chapter and verse as to what happened other than that it wasn't adopted.
Dave K1ZZ
Has anyone posed the question of a lifetime license for US radio amateurs?
Is it practical?
Coy
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Coy Day, N5OK
20685 SW 29
Union City, OK 73090
405-483-5632