I've been thinking more about this and it seems like the ideal solution really is to improve things so that when a PLB is activated it does means there is an emergency in a very high percentage of the cases.

Realistically many outdoors people will echo hikermor's sentiment; they aren't looking for a way to maintain constant communication with civilization. How many of us are more than happy when we see "No Signal" on our cell phones?

Coupled with this is the cost; while a couple hundred bucks every 5 years is a realistic investment as a back up, a hundred or more annually plus initial investment is pushing it for many who aren't interested in the communication aspect but are only interested in the emergency use.

Just thinking out loud, but maybe registering a PLB could require some form of on-line training & exam, ensuring the owner understands the difference between appropriate and inappropriate use. You pass the test & you get to register your device.

To effect real change though, you still might want to couple this with some form of penalty for improper usage though. Admittedly you'd have to be careful on this front, but the Yosemite SAR fine system described by Glock-A-Roo sounds like a promising model.

From my perspective, the various other options - SPOT's non-emergency functions, two-way satellite communicators and satellite phones - really shine in the domain of the non-emergency call; this too could be included in an education aspect of PLB ownership. These tools give the user the ability to reach out for assistance before a situation devolves into one that would legitimately require PLB usage, while still allowing the user to get real emergency assistance if needed.

While some of these other tools have the potential for providing an added benefit in an emergency situation; ideally a PLB should be enough to initiate a proper rescue.