OFFICE OF
THE CHAIRMAN
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
WASHINGTON
June 10,2010
The Honorable Mark Begich
United States Senate
144 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Begich:
Thank you for your letter regarding data roaming, urging the Commission to act promptly
on this issue. I agree that the availability of roaming services to rural communities and access to
wireless data service is essential to our economy, public safety, and national security.
On April 21, 2010, the Commission released an Order on Reconsideration and Second
Further Notice ofProposed Rulemaking that will increase American consumers' access to
mobile voice service, wherever and whenever they choose. The Order on Reconsideration
modifies the automatic roaming obligation that the Commission adopted for voice and related
services in 2007, by eliminating the home roaming exclusion. The Order creates a framework
for voice roaming that will encourage carriers of all sizes to reach reasonable commercial
agreements with each other, while also encouraging these carriers to continue investing in the
coverage and capacity of existing voice networks.
Consistent with the recommendation of the National Broadband Plan, this action also
opens a broad inquiry into the critical issue of data roaming. In the Second Further Notice, we
examine whether to extend roaming obligations to data services that are provided without
interconnection to the public switched network - including mobile broadband services. I have
often expressed a belief that there are few areas in communications that present greater promise
for our country than mobile - in terms of driving our economy and delivering broad opportunity
for all Americans - and our goal must be for America to lead the world in mobile. To promote
this goal, we must ensure that American consumers have access to competitive broadband data
communications services, and that the United States has the fastest and most extensive mobile
networks in the world. This action helps us take the first important steps toward that objective.
I appreciate your interest in this very important matter. We have placed a copy of your
letter in the record for this proceeding. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
Sincerely,
---------- .
Julius Genachowski
OFFICE OF
THE CHAIRMAN
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
WASHING'TON
June 10,2010
The Honorable Roger Wicker
United States Senate
555 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Wicker:
Thank you for your letter regarding data roaming, urging the Commission to act promptly
on this issue. I agree that the availability of roaming services to rural communities and access to
wireless data service is essential to our economy, public safety, and national security.
On April 21, 2010, the Commission released an Order on Reconsideration and Second
Further Notice ofProposed Rulemaking that will increase American consumers' access to
mobile voice service, wherever and whenever they choose. The Order on Reconsideration
modifies the automatic roaming obligation that the Commission adopted for voice and related
services in 2007, by eliminating the home roaming exclusion. The Order creates a framework
for voice roaming that will encourage carriers of all sizes to reach reasonable commercial
agreements with each other, while also encouraging these carriers to continue investing in the
coverage and capacity of existing voice networks.
Consistent with the recommendation of the National Broadband Plan, this action also
opens a broad inquiry into the critical issue of data roaming. In the Second Further Notice, we
examine whether to extend roaming obligations to data services that are provided without
interconnection to the public switched network - including mobile broadband services. I have
often expressed a belief that there are few areas in communications that present greater promise
for our country than mobile - in terms of driving our economy and delivering broad opportunity
for all Americans - and our goal must be for America to lead the world in mobile. To promote
this goal, we must ensure that American consumers have access to competitive broadband data
communications services, and that the United States has the fastest and most extensive mobile
networks in the world. This action helps us take the first important steps toward that objective.
I appreciate your interest in this very important matter. We have placed a copy of your
letter in the record for this proceeding. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
Sincerely,
-------- .
Julius Genachowski