1330 L O NGWOR TH H O U SE OFF IC E B U I L D IN G COMMITIEE ON OVERS IGHT AND GOVERNMENT R EFORM WASHINGTON , D C 20515 SUBCO MMITTEES : 202·225·9894 2 0 2 ·22 5 ·9 783 (FAX) E N ERG Y P O LICY, HEALT H CARE & ENTIT L E M ENTS ECONOMIC GROWTH . J O B CREA TIO N AND R EGUL AT ORY AFFAIRS 2250 L AS V EGAS B L VD. N . SUITE 500 N O RT H LAS VEG AS, NV 890 30 7 0 2·8 0 2 ·4500 COMMITTEE ON H O M E LAND SECUR ITY STEVEN HORSFORD S UBCOMM ITTEE: 7 0 2·8 0 2·4 5 1 0 (FAX) C YB E RSECURIT Y. INF RASTRUCT U R E P ROT ECTIO N . 200 NORTH MAIN ST. T O NOPAH. N V 894 09 The Honorable Tom Wheeler Chairman CONG RESS OF THE UNITED STAT ES 4TH DISTRICT, NEVADA April 9, 2014 Federal Communications Commission 445 1ih Street SW Washington, DC 20554 Dear Chairman Wheeler: AND SECU RIT Y TECHNOLOGIES COMMITTEE O N NATURAL R ESOUR C E S S U BCOMMITTEE S: E N E RG Y & MINERAL R ESOURCES P U OU C LAN DS 8: ENVIRONMEN TAL R EGULATION As the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) works to finalize the rules for the inaugural voluntary incentive auction, I encourage the FCC to consider the role of translators and low-power television stations in delivering over-the-air television to Nevada's rural communities. Many farmers and ranchers, small businesses and families living in remote areas rely on receiving over-the-air television through translators and low-power television stations. With this in mind, I ask the FCC to examine options to minimize the impacts of repacking spectrum in rural areas following the upcoming incentive spectrum auction. In the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act (P.L. 112-96), Congress authorized the FCC to conduct the first-ever voluntary spectrum incentive auction. However, the Act did not contain specific provisions regarding the importance of maintaining over-the-air television networks in rural, mountainous or otherwise hard-to-reach areas that depend on translators or low-power television stations. Across my vast and mountainous state, my constituents rely on over-the-air television to access vital news programming, weather updates, emergency announcements and educational and entertainment content. Television translators and low-power television stations are deployed across the nation to extend the reach of full-power stations or to provide over-the-air service where it wouldn't exist otherwise. In fact, there are more than 300 translators and low-power television stations in Nevada many of which are taxpayer-funded. Furthermore, translators often operate as a network relaying programming to the hardest-to-reach comers of our country. I implore the Commission to take a careful approach to repacking so as not to upset these carefully constructed daisy chains. While I recognize that the repacking process will inevitably lead to changes for translators and low-power television stations, I urge the FCC to ensure that access to quality over-the-air television is preserved. Translators and low-power television stations are often owned and operated by small local entities that cannot afford retooling with their limited H ORSFORD. H OUSE .GOV @