Not for lacking of trying. I have a friend that owns a flight school in Dallas and has been trying to get a 135 going for four years. Keeps getting stonewalled by the FAA. Recently got a letter that said (paraphrased) "we don't have the resources to address your application so it's indefinitely on hold."

I contacted an FAA friend in another district that put me in touch with their 135 point of contact. That person advised that the only way to get a 135 going these days was to rent a PO BOX and a pseudo office in a low volume district (i.e. North Dakota) and try and push it through there. Several people I know have the equipment and finances to go through the process but are being unduly burdened from a regulatory standpoint.