Saylor opposes BIP-110 as Bitcoin nears forced signaling window

Bitcoin miners are running out of time to show clear support for BIP-110, a proposed one-year soft fork that would restrict some arbitrary-data and script uses. For investors, the issue is less about one proposal and more about whether Bitcoin could face a chain split if miners, nodes, and businesses fail to align before fixed activation heights.

Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy, entered the debate with a 110-point critique of the plan. He said he agrees with the goal of protecting the network, but argues the proposal creates more risk than it solves. His objections focus on neutral base-layer rules, hard consensus, open markets, and the precedent of making currently valid fee-paying transactions invalid.

Live tracking on July 20 showed just 11 signaling blocks out of 1,236, or 0.89%. That leaves the current difficulty period unable to reach the 1,109-block early-lock threshold, even if every remaining block signals. The next 2,016-block period, from heights 959,616 to 961,631, is now the last full chance to lock in through the normal process.

If that fails, BIP-110 enforcing nodes would begin requiring bit 4 from heights 961,632 to 963,647, roughly Aug. 8 to Aug. 22 based on 10-minute blocks. Forced lock-in would follow at height 963,648, with activation at 965,664, around Sept. 5.