Mike Crapo 
United States Senator 
239 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. 
Washington, D.C. 20510 
James Risch 
United States Senator 
483 Russell Senate Office Bldg. 
Washington, D.C. 20510 
The Honorable Tom Wheeler 
Chairman 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 12th Street, SW 
Washington, DC 20536 
Dear Chairman Wheeler: 
September 10, 2014 
Mike Simpson 
Member of Congress 
2312 Rayburn House Office Bldg. 
Washington, D.C. 20515 
Raul Labrador 
Member of Congress 
1 523 Longworth House Office Bldg. 
Washington, D.C. 20515 
Broadband Internet access has become an essential part of the Idaho economic and social fabrics 
in our state and rural communities, as a tool to build businesses, apply for jobs, and enhance 
educational opportunities. With robust broadband service, even a small Idaho town can rely on 
its residents' talent and determination to compete with the world. Without it, the same 
community risks being left behind in today's technology-centric economy. 
Phase II of the Connect America Fund ("CAF II") offers a tremendous opportunity to bring 
speedier, fiber-fed broadband connections to Idaho rural communities that would not otherwise 
have this important communication resource. Thanks to the Commission's well-publicized 
efforts, many Idaho rural communities are now counting on CAF II. CAF II represents the final 
phase of Universal Service reform, therefore, its rules will effectively determine whether or not 
our rural residents will have a broadband connection or not. 
We are writing today to emphasize how important it is to ensure that the final details allow CAF 
II to live up to its promise. We are concerned that if the Commission more than doubles the 
speed requirements (from 4 1v!bps to 10 1v!bps) without allowing the appropriate level of 
flexibility in other elements of CAF II, the program's overall mission could be endangered. A 
number of constructive ideas that could help achieve the speedier network goals without 
exceeding the CAF II annual budget could include extending the term of support up to ten years 
and providing flexibility on the build-out parameters. We request that you seriously consider 
these ideas, along with other constructive feedback you receive from interested stakeholders. 
The Honorable Tom Wheeler 
September 10, 2014 
Page 2 
Now that we are in the final phase, the Idaho delegation hopes the CAF II standards can ensure 
that those unserved Idaho customers are reached, while also requiring competitive carriers to 
meet a reasonable standard of verification before depriving a community of CAF II support. 
Thank you for considering our concerns, and we look forward to working with you. 
Mik Simpson 
Member of Congress 
Sincerely, 
ctim~p 
United States Senator 
Raul Labrador 
Member of Congress