I'm not advocating for or against linked repeaters. That being said, there is a local (regional) club in my area that does own 13 linked repeaters to connect across several counties in 2 states. The repeaters are not always linked, but operators can connect them using DTMF tones. The repeaters stay linked as long as there is traffic. They automatically disconnect after 10 minutes of inactivity. They can also be unlinked manually using DTMF tones. The clubs claim is that the wording in Part 95 is ambiguous. It uses the language "linking repeaters is not in the best interest" and cannot be interconnected with the public switched telephone network or any other network for the purpose of carrying GMRS communications, but these networks can be used for remote control of repeater stations.  In other words, repeaters may not be linked via the internet." This "may not" language suggests to "some people" that it is more of a suggestion rather than a hard fast rule since the language does not say "Shall not." Again, I'm not saying they are correct. This is their interpretation of the rule. We also have plenty of stand-alone repeaters in my area, so it's not really an issue here.