FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN The Honorable Bob Casey United States Senate 393 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Casey: May 16,2014 Thank you for your letter in support of maintaining web hosting as part of the Schools and Libraries universal support mechanism (theE-rate program). Your views are very important and will be included in the record of the proceeding and considered as part of the Commission's review. TheE-rate Modernization Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) sought comment on phasing out support for supplemental or " ride-over" services that are not directly related to connectivity, such as webhosting and email service. Specifically, the Commission sought comment on whether E-rate funds should continue to be used to support services such as web hosting and email at costly rates, when many such services are offered at lower prices or even for free. It is important for the Commission to gather more information on these issues in light of the fact that there are many schools that do not receive any E-rate support for critical connectivity needs. E-rate modernization is among the most important tasks currently facing the Commission. My goal is for the Commission to adopt an Order this summer that would implement fundamental structural and administrative changes, the results of which would go into effect in FY 2015. We need to ensure that theE-rate program supports the high-capacity broadband needed to give our students access to 21st century educational opportunities, while simultaneously improving the efficiency and administration of the program and establishing explicit program goals and measurements. The Commission will take all views on this issue into full consideration as we move forward with modernization of the E-rate program. I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if l can be of any further assistance. s;:ft~i- Tom Wheeler