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The Honorable Tom Wheeler 
Chairman 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 12th Street, S.W. 
Washington, D.C. 20554 
Dear Chairman Wheeler: 
September 1 7, 2014 
We write to ask you to consider proposals for implementing Phase II of the Connect America 
Fund ("CAF II") in a manner that extends high speed Internet access to as many unserved and 
underserved households as possible within currently available annual funding levels. 
As you have noted, broadband is an engine of the 21st century economy, and the Federal 
Communications Commission has a role in ensuring that the opportunities broadband offers 
reach as far and wide as possible, regardless of where one lives. Those opportunities include 
ways to encourage economic growth, distance learning, and telemedicine for those living in rural 
areas of New Mexico and across the nation. 
Yet according to the Commission's 2012 Broadband Progress Report, nearly half the New 
Mexicans living in rural areas lack fixed broadband access. The US Census Bureau notes that 
about one third ofN ew Mexican households do not have Internet access at home. The most 
recent National Broadband Map indicates that nearly one fifth of New Mexico residents still lack 
access to Internet speeds of 10 Mbps or higher. National Broadband Map data further show that 
New Mexico ranks 47th nationally in broadband speed availability. This highlights how 
important universal service fund (USF) modernization is for many New Mexicans living on the 
wrong side ofthe digital divide. 
CAF II thus offers an opportunity to extend broadband to unserved rural households and upgrade 
service for many living in underserved areas where connection speeds lag behind the national 
average of 1 0 Mbps typically available in urban areas. We ask that you consider proposals from 
broadband providers to extend the life of CAF II and permit some flexibility to ensure service 
can be extended to as many eligible rural locations as possible. 
The Commission must also ensure that eligible unserved households are not improperly excluded 
from CAF II funding. The Commission should recognize that its current broadband mapping 
data may overstate service availability in New Mexico. For example, we are aware of 
complaints that some areas currently identified as having fixed broadband coverage may not 
actually have such service. Households in such areas should not be excluded from CAF II 
funding without some means of verifying broadband availability. Moreover, broadband 
providers in New Mexico could potentially reach more locations if CAF II rules allowed shifting 
a portion of support to unserved households in partially-served census block areas. 
We therefore ask for you to consider CAF II-related proposals from broadband providers that are 
consistent with Section 254 ofthe Communications Act, which sets the goal of the 
Commission's universal service policy as ensuring that consumers in all regions of the country 
have access to telecommunications and information services that are reasonably comparable to 
those services provided in urban areas. 
Thank you for your consideration within your rules and guidelines. We look forward to 
continuing to work with you on this important matter. 
Sincerely, 
Tom Udall 
United States Senator 
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Stevan Pearce 
United States Representative 
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Ben Ray Lujan 
United States Representative 
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Michelle Lujan Grisham 
United States Representative