STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER JESSICA ROSENWORCEL Re: Connect America Fund, WC Docket No. 10-90, ETC Annual Reports and Certifications, WC Docket No. 14-58, Petition of US Telecom for Forbearance Pursuant to 47 U.S.C. § 160(c) from Obsolete ILEC Regulatory Obligations that Inhibit Deployment of Next Generation Networks, WC Docket No. 14-192. Universal service is a cherished principle in communications. After all, it was back in 1934 when Congress first directed the Federal Communications Commission to make “communications by wire and radio” available “so far as possible, to all the people of the United States.” And it was Congress who expanded on this notion by adding new principles to guide universal service policy in 1996. As a result, the duty to preserve and advance universal service is the law of the land. The law also now requires the Commission to ensure that universal service evolves over time. I believe this is what our Report and Order does today. To keep up with changes in the broadband marketplace, we revise our speed requirement for recipients of high-cost support to a minimum of 10 Megabits downstream. I support this change and the many others we make here today. But I am mindful that as we seek to evolve universal service policy we can also create more complexity and uncertainty for broadband providers. Building networks takes time—and is not easy in our least populated communities. So I am pleased that in today’s Report and Order we make some adjustments to the framework for the offer of model-based support for price cap carriers. Going forward, as we implement further universal service reforms, I hope we put a premium on crafting rules in ways that reduce complexity and uncertainty. Because if we do this right, we will connect America by providing better broadband and wireless service in rural America.