DEAN HELLER 
NEVADA 
t202t224 o244 
'Bnittd ~tatcs ~rnatc 
The Honorable Tom Wheeler 
Chairman 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 12th Street SW 
Washington, DC 20554 
Dear Chairman Wheeler; 
WASHINGTON, DC 20510 
September 10, 20 14 
COMMiliEESˇ 
ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES 
COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND 
TRANSPORTATION 
BANKING HOUSING, AND 
URBAN AFFAIRS 
SPECIAL COMMITIEE ON AGING 
VETERANS' AFFAIRS 
I write to you today in response to recent press reports that the Federal Communications Commission 
(FCC) has "encouraged'' media companies to present concerns regarding the Comcast!Time Warner 
Cable transaction to the FCC under an exemption of the commission's ex parte rules. 
As you know, under rule 1.1204(a) (9), parties concerned about publicly participating in a 
Commission matter due to fear ofpossible reprisal or retribution can be exempted from the 
Commission 's ex parte rules. I recognize and understand that the commission may need to grant 
such an exemption to a patty under this scenario so that the FCC can obtain all the relevant factors 
before moving to adopt a public order. 
However, the bar for such exemptions must be set high. Public orders issued by the FCC must be 
able to stand on its own merit. When orders that have significant impact on the industry are crafted 
based on information provided in secret and go unchallenged, I believe it can undermine the 
effectiveness of that order. 
That is why I am respectfully asking you to provide whether any exempt ex parte presentations have 
been granted for either the Comcast!Time Warner Cable or the AT&T/DirecTV transaction, and if 
so, how many? In your response, please prov ide the specific justification for each instance. 
Lastly, please address the role the FCC played in this action. If the FCC acted in such a manner that 
directly intluenced granting an exemption, please provide the justification for an independent 
government agency committed to transparency and public comment to sol icit such secret 
presentations. 
Thank you for your attention to this matter and I appreciate your response. 
DEAN HELLER 
U.S. Senator