Limitations around communication are not exactly consistent within ED.
True. Not great, but true. I think that is a consequence of the metagamer, however.
'Accurate' science isn't exactly a limitation either. Otherwise, we wouldn't have FSD, limited laser weapons, or even be able to survive the G-forces in our ships I believe.
One could easily say that Warping or Frame Shifting requires the generation of a bubble like the Alcubierre drive, so requires a physical device to translate between locations, which you can't achieve with unaccompanied data signals.
However, that allows for data ships like a kind of intergalactic Pony Express, with all kinds of possible mission-related hijinks - and that still leaves the door open for Galnet's continued existence, even without the ability to do FTL data.
Given that limitations aren't consistent and there is no absolute requirement to follow science all of the time... there is no reason why some form of improved communications could not be achievable.
You basically said that already. I think it goes against the concept of the game as it was defined in the early days, and I feel that's in large part down to a culture that packages up 2 minutes of spoilers and calls it a movie trailer - and then calls the movie "predictable" when they see it.
Given human's general entrepreneurial spirit and overall desire to share (over-share mostly) information, if some sort of communications were available, you can be sure someone would be using it to spread information.
Yes, so no explorer would ever need to risk returning to the bubble to sell their map data again. No trader would ever have to risk traveling without instant access to 100% accurate trade data for any possible destination. Sounds exciting...
Hiding (lore-limiting) information makes it very difficult from a gameplay perspective to get people involved....How would any of these events work if every player had to stumble across them themselves and weren't allowed to share information?
I don't see any reason to oppose any in-game activity, if the ability or any necessary functionality for doing so is provided within the world of the game. If that ability is not included, I tend to conclude that the activity it would have enabled isn't really part of the game, and that doing so lies outside the rules of the game as defined by what is possible without PEDs (Performance Enhancing Datasets). If the tools to do whatever it is you want to do (but currently can't without external methods) are added by FDEV, then by definition that activity must now be part of the game. Tacit approval of external tools is just a copout to me, for both players and devs. In my opinion, if the devs want people to organise or share data, FDEV need to include the means to do so in their game. Otherwise, what's really so different about actual hacking, other than boilerplate EULA mumbo-jumbo?
As it turns out, I think FTL data transmissions are in the lore - at least according to Michael Brookes. I think there are some logically inconsistent restrictions in place, however, to justify why the market for Cartography data and Trade data is not obsolete.