OF FIC E OF 
THE CHAIRMAN 
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
The Honorable Edward J. Markey 
United States Senate 
218 Russell Senate Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20510 
Dear Senator Markey: 
Thank you for your recent letters expressing your views on modernizing theE-rate 
program. Like you, I am deeply committed to ensuring that the E-rate program continues to 
serve the purpose for which, under your leadership, it was established and remains strong and 
sustainable well into the future. Your views are very important to me, particularly given your 
critical role as a founding father of this vital program. I will ensure that your letters are placed in 
the record of the proceeding, and given all due consideration as the Commission moves forward 
withE-rate modernization. 
As you know, in July the Commission adopted a Report and Order and Further Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking ("Order" and "Further Notice," respectively) in which we took critical 
steps to modernize the E-rate program. Your views were a critical input to shaping what the 
Commission adopted. For example, you raised concerns that adopting a single flat rate ofE-rate 
funding per square foot may not result in adequate wireless coverage for schools and libraries. 
Rather, you recommend that the Commission consider a wide range of factors including the 
number of users, connections from wireless in other buildings, architectural impediments, inside 
cabling, and the speed of access to the buildings. 
Based on the record before us, the Order established a multi-year budget for internal 
connections, such as Wi-Fi, that will serve our goal of ensuring affordable access to high-speed 
broadband for schools and libraries as we continue to evaluate long term program needs. 
Specifically, over the next two funding years, libraries may request E-rate support of up to $2.30 
(pre-discount) per square foot for internal connections services over a five-year period, 
consistent with a recommendation by the American Library Association and data submitted by 
numerous individual library systems. Schools will be eligible forE-rate funding on purchases of 
up to $150 (pre-discount) per student. Moreover, to ensure these budgets are sufficient to meet 
the minimum demand that certain libraries and schools might have regardless of size, the Order 
establishes a pre-discount funding floor of$9,200 for each library or school. These figures were 
arrived at based on the best available data to the Commission and will continue to be assessed 
over time. 
The Commission declined to adopt other metrics at this time due to a lack of available 
data sources on these metrics for all libraries, as well as a concern that many of these metrics 
Page 2-The Honorable Edward J. Markey 
may vary dramatically and could be difficult to measure. However, the Further Notice seeks to 
build a record on whether we should adopt another metric in addition to, or instead of, square 
footage to set library budgets. We also seek additional comment on the appropriate funding 
amount for each library because some commenters suggest that a $2.30 per square foot pre­
discount budget is insufficient. 
In the joint letter you sent with Senator Rockefeller, you raised several other issues. For 
example, you suggest that basic Internet connectivity requests should be honored before Wi-Fi 
funding is available, and you raise the issue of increasing the E-rate funding cap to meet present 
and future broadband needs of schools and libraries. With respect to the former, the Order 
ensures that adequate funding will be available for broadband connectivity to schools and 
libraries before funding is made available for Wi-Fi. With respect to the latter, the Further 
Notice specifically asks for comment about long-term program funding needs to meet the goals 
and funding targets established in the Order. 
E-rate modernization is one ofthe most important issues before the Commission today. 
We have an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of millions of students. However, 
more remains to be done in order to secure a sustainable future for E-rate. As always, I look 
forward to working with you toward our mutual goal of increased access to high-speed 
broadband in our nation' s schools and libraries. 
~heeler