JASON SMITH 
8TH DISTI'IICT, MISSOURI 
COMMITTEE ON 
THE JUDICIARY 
COURTS, INTELl£CTUAL PROPERTY AND 
THE INTERNET SUBCOMMITTEE 
«Congress of tbt Wntteb ~tates 
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2230 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING 
WASHINGTON, DC 20515 
(202) 225-4404-PHONE 
(202) 226-632&-FAX 
CAPE GII'IARDEAU OFFICE 
2502 TANNER DRIVE, SUITE 205 
CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO 83703 
(573) 335-()101-f'HONE 
REGULATORY REFORM, COMMERCIAL 
ANO ANTITRUST LAw SUBCOMMITTEE 
CONSTITUTION AND CIVIL JUSTICE 
SUBCOMMITTEE 
mta!i!Jington, :lBI!C 20515·2506 Received & Inspected fARMINGTON OFFICE 22 E. COLUMBIA STREET 
fARMINGTON, MO 63640 
(573) 756·9755-PHONE 
COMMITTEE ON 
NATURAL RESOURCES 
PUBLIC lANDS AND ENVIRONMENTAL 
REGULATION SUBCOMMITTEE 
fiSHERIES, WILDLIFE, OCEANS ANO 
INSULAR AFFAIRS SUSCOMMinEE 
Hon. Tom Wheeler, Chairman 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 12th St., SW 
Washington, DC 20554 
Dear Chairman Wheeler; 
May 8, 2014 
MAY 1 3 Z014 
FCC Mail Room 
RoLLA OFFICE 
830AS. BISHOP 
Rou .. r.,, MO 65401 
(573) 364-2455-PHONE 
WEST PtAINS OFfiCE 
35 COURT SaUARE, SUITE 300 
WEST PLAINS, MO 65775 
(417) 255-1515-PHONE 
http://www.jasonsmlth.house.gov 
I'm writing to express my appreciation for recent activity at The Federal Communication 
Commission (FCC) concerning the provision of broadband to rural America. I am particularly 
encouraged by the portions of the Technology Transfer Order, released in January of this year, 
which included rural trials to deploy broadband by non-traditional providers. 
As you may know, many of my constituents are at risk of being left on the wrong side of 
the Digital Divide. Without robust broadband, small towns are losing businesses and rural school 
children are lagging behind their urban peers and America is slowly but surely losing many of 
the rural places that enrich our national economy and culture. 
Your agency's action in requesting expressions of interest to provide rural broadband by 
non-traditional recipients of Connect America Funds is an encouraging sign that you and your 
staff are exploring creative ways to address the broadband needs of rural America. I understand 
that over 1 000 expressions of interest were filed for this program, including projects that would 
serve over 1 00 rural electric cooperative service territories. The low population numbers and 
sparse density of households make rural areas more difficult from both a business case 
standpoint and a service standpoint. Electric cooperatives have a long track record of providing 
affordable reliable utility service in challenging areas. In my district, I am pleased that SEMO 
Electric Cooperative filed an expression of interest. If funded this project would bring broadband 
service to 26,535 of my constituents. 
Thank you in advance for your full and fair consideration of this application and I ask 
that you please keep me apprised of its progress. I encourage you to begin the rural broadband 
trials as quickly as possible. 
Sincerely, 
Jason Smith 
MEMBER OF CONGRESS