How much data do the scanners really send backwards and forwards?

I feel like a lot of the problems people try to solve with wifi and dozens of access points could be better solved by a 450MHz-ish transceiver up on the roof with a downfire turnstile, and 9600bps radio modems in everything.

I'm going to embroider some red hats, going to put on them "MAKE SLOTTED ALOHA GREAT AGAIN".