FCC Promises "Aggressive" Amateur Enforcement; Closer Ties with Revamped ARRL OO Program

FCC Special Counsel Laura Smith, who is in charge of enforcement activities for the amateur service, says recent cutbacks in the Commission's Enforcement Bureau will not compromise amateur enforcement. According to the ARRL Letter, Smith told a forum at the Pacificon convention in October that the FCC is already more aggressively policing the ham bands and that she does not anticipate any significant reduction in amateur enforcement after the realignment of the Enforcement Bureau takes effect. 

She said that a closer working relationship with the ARRL's Official Observer (OO) program will help fill any gaps in staff enforcement efforts. Smith also noted that she is working with the League to completely revamp the OO program to help make Official Observers, according to the Lettter, "the first line of defense in amateur radio enforcement."