Special Counsel in the FCC Spectrum Enforcement Division Riley Hollingsworth has announced plans to retire from the FCC later this year. "My intention," Hollingsworth told the ARRL, "is to head out in July, assuming the results of the second round of the PAVE PAWS/440 repeater monitoring in California present no complications. It has been a privilege to work with and for the Amateur Radio licensees and the land mobile frequency coordinators. I am extremely fortunate to work for two wonderful groups of people: Those at headquarters in the Enforcement Bureau, and for the Amateur Radio operators." Hollingsworth had planned to retire earlier this year, but changed his mind, saying, "There [were] several issues on the table that I want[ed] to continue to work through with the amateur community."

While his successor has not been named, he was quick to point out that the FCC's Amateur Radio enforcement program will continue.

Hollingsworth said he considered it an honor to have given something back to "the incredible enjoyment and benefits that Amateur Radio has given me since age 13. And to every one of the thousands of you that thanked us for our work, many of whom waited for long periods after a forum or radio meeting just to come up and express appreciation for what the FCC was doing in enforcement, you have no idea how much that was appreciated every single time. It sure wasn't a 9 to 5 job, but it was a gift and a daily joy to work for the best group of people on earth. The only bad day in nearly 10 years was September 21, 2001, when we lost Steve Linn, N4CAK. We still miss him." Linn, deputy chief of the Licensing and Technical Analysis Branch for private wireless within the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, and his wife Lesley were killed in a car accident on their way to the Virginia Beach hamfest.

Hollingsworth told the ARRL he was "so very impressed" with the young people who are involved with Amateur Radio: "To the very young Amateur Radio operators I met at Dayton, who have dreams of being scientists and astronauts and communications engineers, we will be pulling for you; I have a strong feeling we won't be disappointed."

"The Amateur Radio Service is part of the American heritage, and I am going to stay as actively involved in it as I possibly can," Hollingsworth explained. "Thank you all for working tirelessly to provide the only fail safe communications system on Earth and for helping this country keep its lead in science and technology. What an incredible gift it has been to work with you every day, and how fortunate we are to love the magic of radio!"