JARED POLIS 
2ND DISTRICT, COLORADO 
1433 LONGWORTH HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING 
WASHINGTON, DC 20515-Q602 
(202) 225-2161 
(202) 226-7840 (FAX) 
website and email: 
http://polis.house.gov Qlnugr.e!Hi nf tq.e lntt.eb ~tat.e.s 
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The Honorable Tom Wheeler 
Chairman 
September 11, 2014 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 1ih Street, SW 
Washington, D.C. 20554 
Dear Chairman Wheeler: 
PARLIAMENTARIAN OF THE WHIP 
COMMITIEEON 
EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE 
SUBCOMMITTEES: 
EARLY CHILDHOOD, ELEMENTARY, 
AND SECONDARY EDUCATION 
HEALTH, EMPLOYMENT, LABOR, 
AND PENSIONS 
COMMITIEE ON RULES 
STEERING AND POLICY 
I am writing to encourage the Federal Communications Commission to implement Phase II of 
the Connect America Fund (CAF II) with a flexible approach that enables broadband providers 
to reach its new goal of 10 Mbps service within the program's current annual budgets. 
The Second District of Colorado is home to two top research universities and a thriving start-up 
culture that draws many of the nation's best minds, but my district also includes some of the 
most rural communities with challenging terrain and low population density that make them 
difficult to reach with high-speed broadband connections. If implemented successfully, I 
understand CAP II offers an opportunity to bring faster, fiber-fed broadband co1mections to over 
57,000 unserved households in the rural Colorado communities, including over 4,400 households 
in small mountain communities in my district. 
I am pleased that the Commission has raised its speed goal from 4 Mbps to 10 Mbps, but I also 
understand that this more ambitious goal does not come with increased funding. I am concerned 
that if the CAF II does not allow broadband providers a reasonable level of flexibility, the 
program's overall mission could be endangered, especially because it represents the final phase 
of Universal Service reform and will effectively determine whether many rural Coloradans will 
have a broadband connection or not for the foreseeable future. 
The June 10 FNPRM identifies a number of constructive ideas that could help achieve the 
speedier network goals without exceeding the CAF II annual budget, such as extending the 
funding period, raising the "unserved" threshold, and permitting providers to shift support from 
census blocks with very few residents to the unserved portions of partially served census blocks. 
I would encourage the Commission to require a reasonable standard of verification for industry 
claims that an area is already served and therefore ineligible for support. 
Thank you for considering my concerns, and I look forward to working with you. 
~ Polis ~ f1? 
her of ~ngress 
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