Good! This is a vital game mechanic, and so fundamental to the way the game is played, you would lose a lot of that focus if you dropped it. Removing it would make this a different game entirely.
I like it. Supply lines, maybe. More realistically it would be the limitation on command and control distances. Rationalization being: Dang it costs a lot of money (antimatter) to boost our communications signals all the way to that system or star. Then make the intersteller broadcast upgrade/research drop the costs.
have you researched PSIDAR? Aha! Apparently not.
It took me a while to realize that those icons were notifying me of new messages - so much happens that they really got lost, never clicked on them when I was busy playing. What's wrong with the approach from Gal Civ II? Stacking icons up the right side of the screen - mouseover to show details. Have them expire after 10 sec, or when full. Click brings you directly to the planet / ship the alert is referring to, maybe even into camera follow mode if it's a ship! Which I really don't use for any
Wouldn't it make the most sense to attach fleet formations to the capital ships abilities? As your capitals level you get new fleet formations - and it's not even really formations that are important here, it's the logic of a certain number of defensive ships need to stick with a certain ratio of offensive ships. Carriers and capitals stick to the center, fighter/bombers can either be in offensive or screen mode. Give most of the ships more countermeasures, put some flak and point defense on eve