Not exactly. This isn't about creating a single protocol to replace the existing protocol, but instead recognizing that there are many existing protocols in us

Not exactly. This isn't about creating a single protocol to replace the existing protocol, but instead recognizing that there are many existing protocols in use today, none of which seems likely to supplant all the others, and instead looking at ways to tie the systems together so I could send a message from my APRS radio to someone else using D-STAR. The bridges would happen behind the internet gateways to the systems so the RF side doesn't change, and no one needs to upgrade hardware.