PATRICK J. LEAHY, VERMONT, CHAIRMAN 
DIANNE FEINSTEIN, CALIFORNIA CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, IOWA 
CHARLES E. SCHUMER, NEWYORK ORRIN G. HATCH, UTAH 
RICHARD J. DURBIN, ILLINOIS JEFF SESSIONS, ALABAMA 
SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, RHODE ISLAND LINDSEY 0 . GRAHAM, SOUTH CAROLINA 
AMY KLOBUCHAR, MINNESOTA JOHN CORNYN, TEXAS 
AL FRANKEN, MINNESOTA MICHAELS. LEE, UTAH 
CHRISTOPHER A COONS •. DELAWARE TED CRUZ, TEXAS 
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, CONNECTICUT JEFF FLAKE, ARIZONA 
MAZIE HIRONO, HAWAII 
KRISTINE J . Luc1us, Chief Counsel and Staff Director 
KOLAN L. DAVIS, Republican Chief Counsel and Staff Director 
August 12,2014 
The Honorable Tom Wheeler 
Chairman 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 Ii" Street, S.W. 
Washington, D.C. 20554 
Dear Chairman Wheeler: 
tinitrd ~tatrs ~rnatr 
COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY 
WASHINGTON, DC 20510-6275 
Your announcement last week that the Commission will be holding a series of public roundtables to discuss 
approaches to protecting an open Internet was a much-needed step. This is an issue of fundamental importance to 
free speech and economic growth in the United States. It is critical that meaningful rules are put in place that 
protect consumers and promote innovation. While the roundtables the Commission is holding in Washington will 
help to promote further public input, I strongly urge you to expand your listening sessions outside of the Beltway. 
In July, I held a Senate Judiciary Committee field hearing in Vennont on the importance of protecting an open 
Internet. That hearing allowed the Committee to hear from voices that otherwise would not have had an 
opportunity to be heard in Washington. These voices included small business owners like Cabot Orton of the 
Vermont Country Store and Lisa Groeneveld of Logic Supply, Inc. Both ofthese companies are great Vermont 
success stories thanks to the equalizing power of the Internet. 
Mr. Orton explained how the Vermont Country Store, which was founded in 1945, now relies on Internet sales for 
40 percent of its business. This allows his company to keep all of its 450 employees in Vermont. Ms. 
Groeneveld's company, Logic Supply, which designs and manufactures industrial computers for sale to customers 
all over the world, relies on its website for all of its revenue. The Internet allows Logic Supply to have a global 
reach from its headquarters in South Burlington, Vermont. I found their perspectives to be incredibly valuable and 
relevant to the current net neutrality discussion. 
Mr. Orton and Ms. Groeneveld are only two of the thousands ofVennonters who care deeply about the need to 
maintain an open Internet. Vermonters are not alone, as over a million people from across the country have 
submitted comments to the Commission in its open Internet proceeding. Most of them will not be able to come to 
Washington to participate in the roundtables that have been scheduled, but their voices are more important than 
industry lobbyists and Members of Congress. Holding roundtables across the country will help ensure that 
Americans have a meaningful opportunity to participate. 
'