Your assessment has some holes in it, for example regarding the scaling of potential WP earnings within the Equipment line, this thread started in closed beta explains how broken it is (some bits of gear more than others granted, links for example are in a much better place than injectors or reppers), the progression simply does not match the risk v reward ratio established by things like the light weapon line(s).
For the record, reppers will earn less under the new system unless/until CCP changes how WPs are assigned to a "X HP healed = Y WP earned" method. Anything else and every bump to repping is a decrease to earnings potential.

Equipment is not a role. While support roles are heavily defined by equipment use nearly all suits may fit equipment and the types of equipment range widely in effect/purpose; Scout with RE + Cloak, Assault with hives, Logi with scans + reps + needle. Classifying an entire type of gear in this manner is so broad as to lose real meaning, one can as easily say "Light Weapons are so powerful in turning games, its one of the top deciding factor behind (supporting) tanks and teamwork" or "HAVs are so powerful in turning games...." etc. There isn't much of a case to be made for the apples to oranges comparison/contention that equipment is a more potent force the DPS of light weapons, the eHP of defensive mods or the diverse stopping power of a well fit HAV. Each of them when used effectively can provide great effect, when used together this is even more true, a firefight between two equally skilled and fitted players can be decided by a well placed nanohive, that doesn't make the nano highly powerful it simply means the gear is providing an edge which tipped an otherwise equal balance. Potential earnings without consideration of investment and risk aren't a complete picture by any stretch but even on raw WP earnings alone a HAV eclipses equipment use and does so without being heavily dependent on the actions of teammates.

I pulled down consistent +1000 WP scores during closed beta in BPO suits (scout + SMG) focusing on hacking alone.
Add codebreakers (which are not part of the equipment line) and I'd have had even higher average earnings. You are correct it's a full time role, even without equipment, are you proposing that an effective full time role shouldn't be able to potentially earn 2000 WP in a match?

Some of this might be true if spamming links, which these changes won't stop, weren't a thing but spamming does happen and will continue. If you drop a link +100m off an objective to avoid scans someone spamming links closer to the objective will pull the spawns and your earnings potential drops steeply. Beyond that even links placed a jog away from the battle can be compromised by one player spawning in and calling a LAV on the spot or attacking directly from the link and giving away it's vector. A red with a scanner will find and pop that link pretty quickly in cases like that.
The simple fact is that making uplinks mechanically weaker won't stop spam, and from a risk v reward angle it will actually increase the incentive for it.

When you account for the lost fittings values of the skills being removed in 1.8 the net effect is a decrease in overall fittings resources on fittings that run with every equipment slot filled. This loss is even deeper for those logistics suits which have fewer total equipment slots on the frame, thus both being a nerf to the entire line and a distortion on racial balance within it.

My point, is that the changes in 1.8 when taken collectively will lend themselves to more spam not less. It was a concern raised by the poster I was responding to and thus I addressed it. I make no claims regarding the intent CCP for making these changes, in point of fact I've been asking for them to clearly post a statement of intent so that no one has to assume or guess.

PS ~ For those keeping score, Logistics support in EVE is a more deeply in combat role with direct implications during firefights not after and that's without fittings aggressive weapons/mods on many logi fits. Further the general type of tactical roles that equipment fills in Dust are much more diverse within EVE and there are entire ship lines devoted to the various aspects.

EVE manages to find balance for 'equipment' and support by offering a wide array of options and player driven choices, not by nerfing players into pre-fab boxes without diverse options for valid top level fittings. 1.8 by the looks of it so far goes in the opposite direction of the robust offerings provided by New Eden hitherto, seeming to lean towards homogeny over innovation/player choice. Even if such a trend may make balance easier it isn't required for balance to exist and doesn't benefit the long term health/value of the game.

Then appearances are deceiving you.

Upon what do you base that belief? I presented some of my own reasoning on the subject and I don't see it refuted above. If you content that longer spawn times means more tactical deployment of uplinks detail a case for why that would be. Including a specific address to the effects of scanners, flux nades, players with spam swap suits, and the reasons a decreased overall function will result in more players including links on their standard deployment fits.