OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN The Honorable Tom Udall United States Senate FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON January 24, 2014 II 0 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator Udall: Thank you for your letter expressing concern about the effect of the Commission's Quantile Regression Analysis (QRA) on rural carriers in New Mexico. I appreciate your views and will ensure that your letter will be included in the record of the proceeding and considered as part of the Commission's review. As I have made clear since the day I arrived at the Commission, one of the core elements of communications policy that must guide the work of the FCC is the critical need for all Americans to have access to high-speed broadband networks. Access denied is opportunity denied. To that end, I am a firm believer in the importance of universal service, and I agree that the Commission must make timely decisions in order to provide regulatory certainty and create incentives to further efficient investment in broadband networks. We must also be open to modifications to the reforms if it is clear that particular rules are not serving their intended purpose. To that point, as I stated during the recent House Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing on FCC Oversight, I have directed the Wireline Competition Bureau to prepare an order for the Commission's consideration that would eliminate the QRA. I look forward to continuing the work of reforming and modernizing the universal service fund high-cost program- as well as other components of the Fund- and to working with stakeholders, including rural carriers and consumers, to ensure that all Americans have access to robust voice and broadband services. I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN The Honorable Martin Heinrich United States Senate 702 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator Heinrich: January 24, 2014 Thank you for your letter expressing concern about the effect of the Commission's Quantile Regression Analysis (QRA) on rural carriers in New Mexico. I appreciate your views and will ensure that your letter will be included in the record of the proceeding and considered as part of the Commission's review. As I have made clear since the day I arrived at the Commission, one of the core elements of communications policy that must guide the work of the FCC is the critical need for all Americans to have access to high-speed broadband networks. Access denied is opportunity denied. To that end, I am a firm believer in the importance of universal service, and I agree that the Commission must make timely decisions in order to provide regulatory certainty and create incentives to further efficient investment in broadband networks. We must also be open to modifications to the reforms if it is clear that particular rules are not serving their intended purpose. To that point, as I stated during the recent House Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing on FCC Oversight, I have directed the Wireline Competition Bureau to prepare an order for the Commission's consideration that would eliminate the QRA. I look forward to continuing the work of reforming and modernizing the universal service fund high-cost program- as well as other components of the Fund- and to working with stakeholders, including rural carriers and consumers, to ensure that all Americans have access to robust voice and broadband services. I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance. Sincerely, FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN The Honorable Michelle Lujan Grisham U.S. House of Representatives 214 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congresswoman Lujan Grisham: January 24, 2014 Thank you for your letter expressing concern about the effect of the Commission's Quantile Regression Analysis (QRA) on rural carriers in New Mexico. I appreciate your views and will ensure that your letter will be included in the record of the proceeding and considered as part of the Commission's review. As I have made clear since the day I arrived at the Commission, one of the core elements of communications policy that must guide the work of the FCC is the critical need for all Americans to have access to high-speed broadband networks. Access denied is opportunity denied. To that end, I am a firm believer in the importance of universal service, and I agree that the Commission must make timely decisions in order to provide regulatory certainty and create incentives to further efficient investment in broadband networks. We must also be open to modifications to the reforms if it is clear that particular rules are not serving their intended purpose. To that point, as I stated during the recent House Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing on FCC Oversight, I have directed the Wireline Competition Bureau to prepare an order for the Commission's consideration that would eliminate the QRA. I look forward to continuing the work of reforming and modernizing the universal service fund high-cost program- as well as other components of the Fund- and to working with stakeholders, including rural carriers and consumers, to ensure that all Americans have access to robust voice and broadband services. I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance. Sincerely, FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN The Honorable Ben Lujan U.S. House of Representatives 2446 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congressman Lujan: January 24, 2014 Thank you for your letter expressing concern about the effect of the Commission's Quantile Regression Analysis (QRA) on rural carriers in New Mexico. I appreciate your views and will ensure that your letter will be included in the record of the proceeding and considered as part of the Commission's review. As I have made clear since the day I arrived at the Commission, one of the core elements of communications policy that must guide the work of the FCC is the critical need for all Americans to have access to high-speed broadband networks. Access denied is opportunity denied. To that end, I am a firm believer in the importance of universal service, and I agree that the Commission must make timely decisions in order to provide regulatory certainty and create incentives to further efficient investment in broadband networks. We must also be open to modifications to the reforms if it is clear that particular rules are not serving their intended purpose. To that point, as I stated during the recent House Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing on FCC Oversight, I have directed the Wireline Competition Bureau to prepare an order for the Commission's consideration that would eliminate the QRA. I look forward to continuing the work of reforming and modernizing the universal service fund high-cost program- as well as other components of the Fund- and to working with stakeholders, including rural carriers and consumers, to ensure that all Americans have access to robust voice and broadband services. I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance. Sincerely, FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN The Honorable Steve Pearce U.S. House of Representatives 2432 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congressman Pearce: January 24, 2014 Thank you for your letter expressing concern about the effect of the Commission's Quantile Regression Analysis (QRA) on rural carriers in New Mexico. I appreciate your views and will ensure that your letter will be included in the record of the proceeding and considered as part of the Commission's review. As I have made clear since the day I arrived at the Commission, one of the core elements of communications policy that must guide the work of the FCC is the critical need for all Americans to have access to high-speed broadband networks. Access denied is opportunity denied. To that end, I am a firm believer in the importance of universal service, and I agree that the Commission must make timely decisions in order to provide regulatory certainty and create incentives to further efficient investment in broadband networks. We must also be open to modifications to the reforms if it is clear that particular rules are not serving their intended purpose. To that point, as I stated during the recent House Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing on FCC Oversight, I have directed the Wireline Competition Bureau to prepare an order for the Commission's consideration that would eliminate the QRA. I look forward to continuing the work of reforming and modernizing the universal service fund high-cost program- as well as other components of the Fund- and to working with stakeholders, including rural carriers and consumers, to ensure that all Americans have access to robust voice and broadband services. I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance. Sincerely,