[ARRL-OK] ARLB008 Laura L. Smith Named to Amateur Radio Enforcement Role

[D C *Mac* Macdonald]

To: k2gkk at juno.comCC: Subscribed ARRL MembersFrom: "ARRL Web site"
SB QST @ ARL $ARLB008ARLB008 Laura L. Smith Named to Amateur Radio Enforcement Role ZCZC AG08QST de W1AW ARRL Bulletin 8 ARLB008From ARRL Headquarters Newington CT January 26, 2009To all radio amateurs SB QST ARL ARLB008ARLB008 Laura L. Smith Named to Amateur Radio Enforcement RoleLaura L. Smith of Pennsylvania has been named by the FCC to fill thevacancy created when Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, retired in 2008 asSpecial Counsel for the Spectrum Enforcement Division of the FCC'sEnforcement Bureau. Hollingsworth served in that position for morethan 10 years as the FCC's enforcement watchdog over the AmateurRadio Service.A 1990 graduate of the Pepperdine University School of Law, Smithbegan her legal career with the FCC, working in the Mass MediaBureau and Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. She also served asDeputy Division Chief of the Public Safety and Private WirelessDivision. Smith is currently licensed to practice in theCommonwealth of Virginia.In 1998, Smith left the FCC to become Executive Director ofGovernmental Affairs for the Industrial TelecommunicationsAssociation (ITA), now Enterprise Wireless Alliance. In that role,she monitored FCC and legislative proceedings and participated inall regulatory proceedings relevant to the private wirelessindustry. In 2001, Smith became ITA's President and Chief ExecutiveOfficer. While in that position, she was instrumental in theformation of the Consensus Group, a group of public safety andprivate wireless entities responsible for drafting the "ConsensusPlan," a proposed resolution for interference in the 800 MHz band;this was adopted by the FCC in 2004.Smith returns to the FCC after serving Of Counsel with the Marylandlaw firm of Shulman Rogers. While there, she dealt withtelecommunications matters and provided counsel to numerous entitiesin the private radio and public safety communities. Smith has servedas an industry consultant and written columns for a variety of tradepublications including Mobile Radio Technology Magazine and ThePrivate Wireless Magazine.In an October 2008 letter to then-FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, ARRLPresident Joel Harrison, W5ZN, urged Martin to name a successor toHollingsworth: "The appointment of a replacement Special Counsel inthis position is of critical importance to the Amateur RadioService, as the delay in finalizing the appointment stands toundermine in very short order an exceptionally successful andlow-cost program of enforcement in the Amateur Service."Calling the FCC's Amateur Radio enforcement program "spectacularlysuccessful," Harrison reminded Martin of the "long period in thelate 1980s and 1990s during which the Commission was essentiallyuninvolved in enforcement in the Amateur Service. The AmateurService, consisting of some 680,000 licensees of the Commission, isin essence a self-regulating service; however, due to the sharedfrequency allocations in the Service and the long distancepropagation of amateur communications, a very few rule violators cancause severe disruption in the Service. On the other hand, even aminimal Commission presence has a very strong deterrent value."When Hollingsworth was appointed as Special Counsel for AmateurRadio Enforcement, Harrison said that Hollingsworth "established avisible presence in the Service and very quickly, and with verylittle investment of Commission resources, using little more thanthe awareness of an enforcement presence, created strong deterrenceagainst rule violations."Upon learning of Smith's move to the Amateur Radio enforcement role,Harrison remarked that he was "very pleased to see the Commissionmove forward with the hiring of a new Special Counsel responsiblefor enforcement of the Amateur Radio Service rules," said Harrison."Ever since Riley Hollingsworth announced his retirement, we havemet with the Enforcement Chief numerous times and corresponded withFCC Chairman Martin to ensure this position remains intact at FCC.The Commission acknowledges the self-regulating environment wemaintain, but also understands that we need their assistanceoccasionally to resolve a few situations. They have continuallyreassured us that this is an important matter for them, and MsSmith's hiring confirms that."NNNN 
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