What applies to BBS? BBS is not and never have been dead. This faction is active since 2009 and it won't change as long as there are playable FOnline servers. Check FOnline 2 pip boy and you will know where currently BBS fight.
BBS is different, I'm pretty sure you know each other irl, and "almost" everybody knows you are on Fonline 2 right now.
But for most other faction, ppl gathered randomly and don't know each other as well as you do. Players come, leave, come back, leave again... It's hard to keep players you don't know for long, and thats the weakness of most factions. BBS has a strong core team, you may recruit here and there, but the "real" BBS always stay. I was thinking about younger factions when I writed before, wich are the only ones left now.