FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
OFFICE OF 
THE CHA I RMAN 
The Honorable Sean Duffy 
U.S. House of Representatives 
October 24, 2014 
1208 Longworth House Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20515 
Dear Representative Duffy: 
Thank you for your letter regarding the implementation of certain aspects of Phase II of 
the Connect America Fund (CAF II). In your letter, you express concerns that the overall 
mission of the CAF II program may fall short ifthe Commission increases the current broadband 
speed benchmark for program recipients to 10 Mbps downstream /1 Mbps upstream without 
allowing flexibility in other elements of program, and suggest several proposals to provide such 
flexibility. Your views are very important and will be included in the record of the proceeding 
and considered as part of the Commission's review. 
The universal service program is one of the most important tools at our disposal to ensure 
that consumers and businesses in rural America have the same opportunities as their urban and 
suburban counterparts to be active participants in the United States ofthe 21 51 century. We are 
focused on updating the universal service high-cost program to ensure that we are delivering the 
best possible voice and broadband experiences to rural areas of states within the confines of our 
Connect America budget, while providing increased certainty and predictability for all carriers 
and a climate for increased broadband expansion. 
In April, the Commission adopted a Connect America Fund Phase II Report and Order to 
move forward with Phase II of the Connect America Fund for price-cap carriers. In addition, in 
an associated Further Notice of Proposed Rule making (FNP RM), the Commission sought 
comment on a number of the issues you raise, including revising the current broadband 
performance obligations to require minimum speeds of 10 Mbps downstream, and applying the 
same performance obligations to all recipients of Phase II support and to rate-of-return carriers. 
In addition, the FNP RM seeks comment on the approaches that you raise in your letter­
including lengthening the term of support, using the new speed standard to determine whether an 
area is served, and allowing CAF II recipients to substitute locations in patiially served census 
blocks for locations in the unserved census block for which it received support. As you suggest, 
these proposals would allow CAF II recipients more flexibility in meeting their performance 
obligations. We must consider these proposals in the contexts of our other policy goals, such as 
encouraging competition and private investment, to ensure that we are fulfilling our universal 
service mandate. 
We have a robust record on these topics and the Commission's staff is giving these issues 
all due consideration. I welcome a dialogue with stakeholders as to how best to accomplish our 
Page 2-The Honorable Sean Duffy 
shared objectives, and I look forward to working with you as we continue reforming and 
modernizing the Universal Service Fund high-cost program - as well as other components of the 
Fund - to ensure that all Americans have access to robust voice and broadband services. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if 1 can be of any further 
assistance. 
Sincerely/./ / 
p...V/Vw-
Tom Wheeler 
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
OFFICE OF 
THE CHAIRMAN 
The Honorable Reid Ribble 
U.S. House ofRepresentatives 
October24, 2014 
1513 Longworth House Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20515 
Dear Representative Ribble: 
Thank you for your letter regarding the implementation of certain aspects of Phase II of 
the Connect America Fund (CAF II) . In your letter, you express concerns that the overall 
mission of the CAF II program may fall short if the Commission increases the current broadband 
speed benchmark for program recipients to 10 Mbps downstream 11 Mbps upstream without 
allowing flexibility in other elements of program, and suggest several proposals to provide such 
flexibility. Your views are very important and will be included in the record of the proceeding 
and considered as part of the Commission' s review. 
The universal service program is one of the most important tools at our disposal to ensure 
that consumers and businesses in rural America have the same opportunities as their urban and 
suburban counterparts to be active participants in the United States ofthe 21 51 century. We are 
focused on updating the universal service high-cost program to ensure that we are delivering the 
best possible voice and broadband experiences to rural areas of states within the confines of our 
Connect America budget, while providing increased certainty and predictability for all carriers 
and a climate for increased broadband expansion. 
In April, the Commission adopted a Connect America Fund Phase II Report and Order to 
move forward with Phase II of the Connect America Fund for price-cap carriers. In addition, in 
an associated Further Notice ofProposed Rulemaking (FNP RM), the Commission sought 
comment on a number of the issues you raise, including revising the current broadband 
performance obligations to require minimum speeds of 10 Mbps downstream, and applying the 
same performance obligations to all recipients of Phase II support and to rate-of-return carriers. 
In addition, the FNP RM seeks comment on the approaches that you raise in your letter -
including lengthening the term of support, using the new speed standard to determine whether an 
area is served, and allowing CAF II recipients to substitute locations in partially served census 
blocks for locations in the unserved census block for which it received support. As you suggest, 
these proposals would allow CAF II recipients more flexibility in meeting their performance 
obligations. We must consider these proposals in the contexts of our other policy goals, such as 
encouraging competition and private investment, to ensure that we are fulfilling our universal 
service mandate. 
We have a robust record on these topics and the Commission's staff is giving these issues 
all due consideration. I welcome a dialogue with stakeholders as to how best to accomplish our 
Page 2- The Honorable Reid Ribble 
shared objectives, and I look forward to working with you as we continue reforming and 
modernizing the universal service fund high-cost program -as well as other components of the 
Universal Service Fund - to ensure that all Americans have access to robust voice and broadband 
services. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if 1 can be of any further 
assistance. 
Sincere~y~ ~~ ;' 
~ ~UCr£--
Tom Wheeler 
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
OFFICE OF 
THE CHAIRMAN 
The Honorable Mark Pocan 
U.S. House of Representatives 
313 Cannon House Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20515 
Dear Representative Pocan: 
October 24, 2014 
Thank you for your letter regarding the implementation of certain aspects of Phase II of 
the Connect America Fund (CAF II). In your letter, you express concerns that the overall 
mission of the CAF II program may fall short ifthe Commission increases the current broadband 
speed benchmark for program recipients to 10 Mbps downstream /1 Mbps upstream without 
allowing flexibility in other elements of program, and suggest several proposals to provide such 
flexibility. Your views are very important and will be included in the record of the proceeding 
and considered as part of the Commission's review. 
The universal service program is one of the most important tools at our disposal to ensure 
that consumers and businesses in rural America have the same opportunities as their urban and 
suburban counterpm1s to be active participants in the United States of the 21 51 century. We are 
focused on updating the universal service high-cost program to ensure that we are delivering the 
best possible voice and broadband experiences to rural areas of states within the confines of our 
Connect America budget, while providing increased ce11ainty and predictability for all carriers 
and a climate for increased broadband expansion. 
In April , the Commission adopted a Connect America Fund Phase II Report and Order to 
move forward with Phase II of the Connect America Fund for price-cap carriers. In addition, in 
an associated Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNP RM), the Commission sought 
comment on a number of the issues you raise, including revising the current broadband 
performance obligations to require minimum speeds of 10 Mbps downstream, and applying the 
same performance obligations to all recipients of Phase II support and to rate-of-return carriers. 
In addition, the FNP RM seeks comment on the approaches that you raise in your letter -
including lengthening the term of support, using the new speed standard to determine whether an 
area is served, and allowing CAF II recipients to substitute locations in partially served census 
blocks for locations in the unserved census block for which it received support. As you suggest, 
these proposals would allow CAF II recipients more flexibility in meeting their performance 
obligations. We must consider these proposals in the contexts of our other policy goals, such as 
encouraging competition and private investment, to ensure that we are fulfilling our universal 
service mandate. 
We have a robust record on these topics and the Commission's staff is giving these issues 
all due consideration. I welcome a dialogue with stakeholders as to how best to accomplish our 
Page 2-The Honorable Mark Paean 
shared objectives, and I look forward to working with you as we continue reforming and 
modernizing the universal service fund high-cost program- as well as other components of the 
Universal Service Fund- to ensure that all Americans have access to robust voice and broadband 
services. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if 1 can be of any further 
assistance. 
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
OFFICE OF 
THE CHAIRMAN 
The Honorable Tom Petri 
U.S. House of Representatives 
2462 Rayburn House Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20515 
Dear Representative Petri : 
October 24, 2014 
Thank you for your letter regarding the implementation of certain aspects of Phase II of 
the Connect America Fund (CAF II) . In your letter, you express concerns that the overall 
mission of the CAF II program may fall short if the Commission increases the current broadband 
speed benchmark for program recipients to 10 Mbps downstream 11 Mbps upstream without 
allowing flexibility in other elements of program, and suggest several proposals to provide such 
flexibility. Your views are very important and will be included in the record of the proceeding 
and considered as part of the Commission' s review. 
The universal service program is one of the most impmiant tools at our disposal to ensure 
that consumers and businesses in rural America have the same opportunities as their urban and 
suburban counterparts to be active participants in the United States of the 21 st century. We are 
focused on updating the universal service high-cost program to ensure that we are delivering the 
best possible voice and broadband experiences to rural areas of states within the confines of our 
Connect America budget, while providing increased cetiainty and predictability for all carriers 
and a climate for increased broadband expansion. 
In April, the Commission adopted a Connect America Fund Phase II Report and Order to 
move forward with Phase II of the Connect America Fund for price-cap carriers. In addition, in 
an associated Further Notice of Proposed Rule making (FNP RM), the Commission sought 
comment on a number of the issues you raise, including revising the current broadband 
performance obligations to require minimum speeds of 10 Mbps downstream, and applying the 
same performance obligations to all recipients of Phase II support and to rate-of-return carriers. 
In addition, the FNP RM seeks comment on the approaches that you raise in your letter ­
including lengthening the term of support, using the new speed standard to determine whether an 
area is served, and allowing CAF II recipients to substitute locations in partially served census 
blocks for locations in the unserved census block for which it received support. As you suggest, 
these proposals would allow CAF II recipients more flexibility in meeting their perfmmance 
obligations. We must consider these proposals in the contexts of our other policy goals, such as 
encouraging competition and private investment, to ensure that we are fulfilling our universal 
service mandate. 
We have a robust record on these topics and the Commission's staff is giving these issues 
all due consideration. I welcome a dialogue with stakeholders as to how best to accomplish our 
Page 2-The Honorable Tom Petri 
shared objectives, and I look forward to working with you as we continue reforming and 
modernizing the universal service fund high-cost program- as well as other components of the 
Universal Service Fund- to ensure that all Americans have access to robust voice and broadband 
services. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if 1 can be of any further 
assistance. 
Tom Wheeler 
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
OFFICE OF 
THE C HAl RMAN 
The Honorable Ron Kind 
U.S. House ofRepresentatives 
October 24, 2014 
1502 Longworth House Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20515 
Dear Representative Kind: 
Thank you for your letter regarding the implementation of certain aspects of Phase II of 
the Connect America Fund (CAF II). In your letter, you express concerns that the overall 
mission of the CAF II program may fall short if the Commission increases the cunent broadband 
speed benchmark for program recipients to 10 Mbps downstream 11 Mbps upstream without 
allowing flexibility in other elements of program, and suggest several proposals to provide such 
flexibility. Your views are very important and will be included in the record of the proceeding 
and considered as part of the Commission' s review. 
The universal service program is one of the most important tools at our disposal to ensure 
that consumers and businesses in rural America have the same opportunities as their urban and 
suburban counterparts to be active participants in the United States of the 21 st century. We are 
focused on updating the universal service high-cost program to ensure that we are delivering the 
best possible voice and broadband experiences to rural areas of states within the confines of our 
Connect America budget, while providing increased certainty and predictability for all carriers 
and a climate for increased broadband expansion. 
In April , the Commission adopted a Connect America Fund Phase II Report and Order to 
move forward with Phase II of the Cmmect America Fund for price-cap carriers. In addition, in 
an associated Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNP RM), the Commission sought 
comment on a number of the issues you raise, including revising the cunent broadband 
performance obligations to require minimum speeds of 10 Mbps downstream, and applying the 
same performance obligations to all recipients of Phase II support and to rate-of-return carriers. 
In addition, the FNP RM seeks comment on the approaches that you raise in your letter ­
including lengthening the term of support, using the new speed standard to determine whether an 
area is served, and allowing CAF II recipients to substitute locations in partially served census 
blocks for locations in the unserved census block for which it received support. As you suggest, 
these proposals would allow CAF II recipients more flexibility in meeting their performance 
obligations. We must consider these proposals in the contexts of our other policy goals, such as 
encouraging competition and private investment, to ensure that we are fulfilling our universal 
service mandate. 
We have a robust record on these topics and the Commission's staff is giving these issues 
all due consideration. I welcome a dialogue with stakeholders as to how best to accomplish our 
Page 2-The Honorable Ron Kind 
shared objectives, and I look forward to working with you as we continue reforming and 
modernizing the universal service fund high-cost program- as well as other components of the 
Universal Service Fund- to ensure that all Americans have access to robust voice and broadband 
serv1ces. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if l can be of any further 
assistance. 
Tom Wheeler