I agree Patrick. There is a huge group that didn't want to get rid of the Novice class, and yet they did. There was a huge group that didn't want the code dropped from the Technician Class, and yet they did.
From that way that article reads to me, the decision has already been made by the FCC, despite some 8000+ comments I think it was, and it's just a matter of time before they sign it in as fact.