SB QST @ ARL $ARLB019
ARLB019 FCC's Riley Hollingsworth visits ARRL HQ

ZCZC AG19
QST de W1AW  
ARRL Bulletin 19  ARLB019
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  March 19, 1999
To all radio amateurs 

SB QST ARL ARLB019
ARLB019 FCC's Riley Hollingsworth visits ARRL HQ

After six months as the FCC's top Amateur Radio enforcer, Riley
Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, says he's pleased with the progress he's made
and the support he's received from the amateur community. During a
St Patrick's Day visit to ARRL HQ, Hollingsworth told ARRL staff
members that Amateur Radio enforcement has been ''one of the few
victories the Commission has been having these days.'' He said he
does not expect the impending FCC restructuring--including creation
of a new Enforcement Bureau--to affect the course or momentum of
amateur enforcement. He said his current effort is making up for
years of neglect in FCC amateur enforcement. But he said that in the
long term, ham radio will continue to be self policing, and the
Amateur Auxiliary will be a critical link in making that happen. ''We
will be depending more and more on the Amateur Auxiliary,'' he said.

In the weeks ahead, Hollingsworth said he hopes to turn his
attention to such problems as the incursion of unlicensed operators
on 10 meters--the so-called ''freebanders'' who often stray onto
amateur frequencies--as well as the improper marketing of equipment
to unlicensed individuals and examination fraud cases. He also plans
to add some casual monitoring capabilities at his Gettysburg office.

Hollingsworth said he's currently working about a month behind in
replying and advised those contacting him to use either a letter or
e-mail instead of the telephone.

This was Hollingsworth's first visit to HQ. He said getting a chance
to visit W1AW was the highlight. During his visit, Hollingsworth
made a quick contact with an acquaintance on 20 meters from W1AW. He
also had the rare opportunity to wield the original Wouff Hong and
Rettysnitch--the traditional symbols manufactured and invoked by
''The Old Man'' during the early years of the hobby to combat poor
operating practices. League officials expressed the hope that the
experience would provide an additional boost to Hollingsworth's
present-day enforcement efforts.
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