That's great but is she a ham?  I don't believe that was mentioned in the 
article.  Lou
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "w4hc" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:52 AM
Subject: FCC Announces Riley Hollingsworth Replacement


> Laura L. Smith of Pennsylvania has been named by the FCC to fill the
> vacancy created when Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, retired in 2008 as
> Special Counsel for the Spectrum Enforcement Division of the FCC's
> Enforcement Bureau. Hollingsworth served in that position for more
> than 10 years as the FCC's enforcement watchdog over the Amateur
> Radio Service.
>
> A 1990 graduate of the Pepperdine University School of Law, Smith
> began her legal career with the FCC, working in the Mass Media
> Bureau and Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. She also served as
> Deputy Division Chief of the Public Safety and Private Wireless
> Division. Smith is currently licensed to practice in the
> Commonwealth of Virginia.
>
> In 1998, Smith left the FCC to become Executive Director of
> Governmental Affairs for the Industrial Telecommunications
> Association (ITA), now Enterprise Wireless Alliance. In that role,
> she monitored FCC and legislative proceedings and participated in
> all regulatory proceedings relevant to the private wireless
> industry. In 2001, Smith became ITA's President and Chief Executive
> Officer. While in that position, she was instrumental in the
> formation of the Consensus Group, a group of public safety and
> private wireless entities responsible for drafting the "Consensus
> Plan," 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 Maryland
> law firm of Shulman Rogers. While there, she dealt with
> telecommunications matters and provided counsel to numerous entities
> in the private radio and public safety communities. Smith has served
> as an industry consultant and written columns for a variety of trade
> publications including Mobile Radio Technology Magazine and The
> Private Wireless Magazine.
>
> In an October 2008 letter to then-FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, ARRL
> President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, urged Martin to name a successor to
> Hollingsworth: "The appointment of a replacement Special Counsel in
> this position is of critical importance to the Amateur Radio
> Service, as the delay in finalizing the appointment stands to
> undermine in very short order an exceptionally successful and
> low-cost program of enforcement in the Amateur Service."
>
> Calling the FCC's Amateur Radio enforcement program "spectacularly
> successful," Harrison reminded Martin of the "long period in the
> late 1980s and 1990s during which the Commission was essentially
> uninvolved in enforcement in the Amateur Service. The Amateur
> Service, consisting of some 680,000 licensees of the Commission, is
> in essence a self-regulating service; however, due to the shared
> frequency allocations in the Service and the long distance
> propagation of amateur communications, a very few rule violators can
> cause severe disruption in the Service. On the other hand, even a
> minimal Commission presence has a very strong deterrent value."
>
> When Hollingsworth was appointed as Special Counsel for Amateur
> Radio Enforcement, Harrison said that Hollingsworth "established a
> visible presence in the Service and very quickly, and with very
> little investment of Commission resources, using little more than
> the awareness of an enforcement presence, created strong deterrence
> against rule violations."
>
> Upon learning of Smith's move to the Amateur Radio enforcement role,
> Harrison remarked that he was "very pleased to see the Commission
> move forward with the hiring of a new Special Counsel responsible
> for enforcement of the Amateur Radio Service rules," said Harrison.
> "Ever since Riley Hollingsworth announced his retirement, we have
> met with the Enforcement Chief numerous times and corresponded with
> FCC Chairman Martin to ensure this position remains intact at FCC.
> The Commission acknowledges the self-regulating environment we
> maintain, but also understands that we need their assistance
> occasionally to resolve a few situations. They have continually
> reassured us that this is an important matter for them, and Ms
> Smith's hiring confirms that."