I like the idea of paying for gate access.
I think the fee should be at least $5 if not more. The fee should be designed to compensate for the cost of security and also discourage people who do not have a genuine need to get to the gate. This will ensure that the entire family is not at the gate to greet grandma but people who need to be there can get there.

Another issue are lounges outside the secure area. Currently most US airports do not have any decent restaurant/lounge outside the secure area, except perhaps some international terminals. This means that you do not have a place to hang around when you are planning to meet someone at an airport (say during a layover) or if you reached the airport a couple of hours before the flight time. It should help the airport revenue situation too.