Why can't I do the things I list in this topic?
 

Why can't I:

1. Post in the "Information and Discussion" forums
2. Post in the "Feedback" forums
3. SEND PRIVATE MESSAGES to other players even though I am Lt.Cmdr (Level 11)

Something is very wrong with this.

As I understand it I am a Silver player and since I created a new account recently there are some restrictions. Now I need confirmation about this, is it true that the stupid restrictions go away once I play for at least 20 hours? Because I've been playing for awhile now casually. I want to ask some questions about the gameplay but I can't get any answers because these restrictions are limiting me!

The short answer is yes, you have forum restrictions due to being a Silver player. The longer answer is that those restrictions can be lifted in a number of ways. Since I can't copy and paste the info, I would encourage you to look here.

The specific issues you are mentioning are found near the bottom of that list.