FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
OFFICE OF 
THE CHAIRMAN 
The Honorable Lindsey 0. Graham 
United States Senate 
290 Russell Senate Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20510 
Dear Senator Graham: 
August 11 , 2014 
Thank you for your recent letter regarding telecommunications mergers. I appreciate the 
opportunity to respond. 
As you know, the Commission generally is tasked with reviewing the proposed transfer 
of any FCC license and/or authorization to determine if such transfer is in the public interest. 
The Commission' s task goes beyond looking only for competitive harms and includes whether 
the proposal would enhance competition. We also examine the impact of the proposed merger 
on the deployment of advanced services to all Americans, in addition to the diversity of 
ownership and the diversity of information services available to the public. Our review is 
separate -and our standard of review distinct- from those of the Department of Justice (DOJ) 
and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), but the Commission staff does work closely with our 
colleagues in those agencies, as necessary and appropriate. 
Additionally, the Commission conducts all of our reviews in a transparent manner, 
providing the public with a full opportunity to participate by submitting their views and 
comments on the impact of any proposed merger. I encourage your constituents to take part in 
any proposed merger proceeding that may impact them. 
I fully agree with your views on the importance of this agency' s commitment to ensure 
access to telecommunication services in rural South Carolina. Since the day I arrived at the 
Commission, I made clear that ensuring access to high-speed broadband networks for all 
Americans is one of the core elements of communications policy that must guide the work of the 
FCC. Access denied is opportunity denied. The universal service program is one of the most 
important tools at our disposal to ensure that consumers and businesses in rural America have the 
same opportunities as their urban and suburban counterparts to be active participants in the 
United States of the 21 st century. To that end, we are focused on updating the universal service 
program to ensure that we are delivering the best possible voice and broadband experiences to 
rural America within the confines of our Connect America budget, while providing increased 
certainty and predictability for all carriers and a climate for increased broadband expansion. 
I look forward to continuing the work of reforming and modernizing the Universal 
Service Fund high-cost program- as well as other components of the Fund- and to working 
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with stakeholders, including rural carriers and consumers, to ensure that all Americans have 
access to robust voice and broadband services. 
I hope this information is helpful. 
Sincerely, 
-;;;;;#{t 
Tom Wheeler