The Honorable Tom Wheeler 
Chairman 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 1ih Street, SW 
Washington, D.C. 20536 
Dear Chairman Wheeler: 
August 15,2014 
In Missouri's 3rd Congressional District, broadband Internet access has become an essential part 
of the economic and social make-up, particularly in rural communities. Broadband Internet 
access is used to apply for jobs, enhance educational opportunities, and connect to friends and 
family. 
Phase II of the Connect America Fund ("CAF II") offers an opportunity to bring faster, fiber-fed 
broadband connections to millions of Americans who wouldn't otherwise receive these benefits. 
Due to the outreach of the Commission, thousands of rural communities now look forward to 
receiving the benefits of CAF II. Since CAF II represents the final phase of Universal Service 
reform for these areas, its rules will effectively determine whether millions of rural residents will 
have a broadband connection. 
I am writing to express how important it is the CAF II live up to its expectations and promises. I 
am concerned that if the Commission more than doubles the speed requirements without 
allowing the appropriate level of flexibility in other elements ofCAF II, the program's overall 
mission could be threatened. 
First, the CAF II funding period should be extended from the current 5 years to 10 years to allow 
adequate time for the construction of the higher-capacity network. However, this needs to be 
done in a fiscally responsible manner, not through unfunded mandates. In addition, the 
Commission should use the same 10 Mbps standard when identifying broadband availability 
from competitors in an effort to ensure that communities with just 4 Mbps will not be left behind. 
The Commission also must establish network build-out parameters consistent with the goal of 
providing quality broadband service to as many people as possible within CAF's limited funding 
framework. As such, providers must be given the flexibility to substitute extremely high cost 
locations with unserved locations in partially served census blocks. 
Lastly, I encourage the Commission to be as precise as possible when targeting support to areas 
where broadband would not otherwise be available. In the interim CAF I phases, an entire census 
block could be disqualified if a competitive carrier claimed to serve even a small fraction of its 
1001
customers, and many areas were disqualified based on the untested assertions of wireless ISPs 
with line of sight and capacity issues that made them a poor substitute for fiber-fed networks. 
Now that the final phase is in progress, it is my hope that the CAF II standards reach those 
unserved customers, and also require competitive carriers to meet a reasonable standard of 
verification before depriving a community of CAF II support. 
Even though broadband is continuing to grow at high volumes, I still hear from constituents in 
the 3rd Congressional District seeking assistance to bring broadband services to their home. 
Thank you for considering my concerns, and I look forward to working with you on this 
important issue. 
Blaine Luetkemeyer 
Member of Congress