OFF ICE OF 
T H E CHA I RMAN 
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSIO N 
WASHINGTON 
The Honorable John D. Rockefeller IV 
Chairman 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
United States Senate 
Washington, D.C. 20510 
Dear Chairman Rockefeller: 
Thank you for your letter expressing your views on modernizing theE-rate program. 
Like you, I am deeply committed to ensure that theE-rate program continues to serve the 
purpose for which, under your leadership, it was established and remains strong and sustainable 
well into the future. Consequently, your input- as a founding father ofE-rate- is very 
important to me. I will ensure that your letter is placed in the record of the proceeding, and 
given all due consideration as the Commission moves forward withE-rate modernization. 
In your letter, you request that the Commission adopt reforms to E-rate that support 
multi-year applications and minimize paperwork for applicants. Further, while recognizing the 
importance of ensuring Wi-Fi connectivity inside classrooms and libraries, you suggest that basic 
Internet connectivity requests should be honored before Wi-Fi funding is available and that new 
methods for allocating support for Wi-Fi should be appropriately tested. Finally, you raise the 
issue of increasing the E-rate funding cap to meet present and future broadband needs of schools 
and libraries. I believe all the issues you raised were dealt with in the Order. 
Concerning the first point, theE-rate Modernization Order adopted by the Commission 
on July 11, 2014, significantly simplifies the application process for funding requests that 
involve multi-year contracts and streamlines the overall application process. For example, the 
improvements contained in the Order expedite the review process for small dollar, cost-effective 
applications, mandate the electronic filing of all documents, and simplify discount calculations. 
With respect to Wi-Fi, the Order takes significant steps to address the Wi-Fi gap in 
America' s schools and libraries, setting an annual funding target of $1 billion for Wi-Fi and 
establishing a more fair method for distributing funds so that ALL schools and libraries can 
benefit, including far more rural schools than in the past. This is an important step, given that 40 
percent of classrooms are not currently Wi-Fi-enabled and nearly two-thirds of schools indicate 
that they do not have sufficient Wi-Fi capacity to meet their digital learning needs. Nevertheless, 
in recognition of your concerns, the Order ensures that adequate funding will be available for 
broadband connectivity to schools and libraries before funding is made available for Wi-Fi. 
Moreover, the new Wi-Fi support methodology has been established for the next two E-rate 
funding years as we continue to evaluate the long-term funding needs of the program. 
Page 2-The Honorable John D. Rockefeller IV 
The Order is a critical next step in theE-rate modernization process. And we have 
started this process in a responsible manner. We are targeting already available funds to meet 
the greatest current needs, and we are getting as much as we can out of every E-rate dollar. And, 
importantly, we are formally and expeditiously investigating the appropriate funding level for 
this program, based upon the steps we have taken to improve the structure and administration of 
the program. Specifically, the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking accompanying the Order 
specifically seeks comment on long-term program funding needs to meet the goals and funding 
targets established in the Order. 
Prior to the July Order, E-rate was able to support Wi-Fi funding requests for less than 
five percent of schools and one percent of libraries. Over the next two years, the Commission's 
July Order will help up to 20 million students and thousands of libraries gain access to Wi-Fi, all 
while increasing Wi-Fi support available to both rural and urban areas and not compromising 
funding for Internet connectivity. However, more remains to be done in order to secure a 
sustainable future forE-rate. As always, I welcome your input and look forward to continuing to 
work with you. 
;#kf-
Tom Wheeler