FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN The Honorable Maria Cantwell United States Senate 311 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Cantwell : August 20, 2015 Thank you for your letter supporting competition in the wireless marketplace. I share your view that the upcoming incentive auction is a unique opportunity to promote greater competition and choice, and to promote economic growth, by making additional low-band spectrum available for wireless broadband. One of our priorities for the Incentive Auction is to assure that competitive providers have a meaningful opportunity to access low-band spectrum. This is particularly important in rural areas, where low-band spectrum is necessary if competitors are to fill in their coverage gaps, and in urban areas, where low-band spectrum allows more reliable in-building coverage. I agree that facilitating access to low-band spectrum by multiple providers is important to preserve and promote competition in the mobile wireless marketplace, which brings consumers more choices, lower prices, and higher quality services. For these reasons, as you note, the Commission has established a groundbreaking spectrum reserve for competitors in every market nationwide. The market-based spectrum reserve for the incentive auction will facilitate an opportunity for mobile wireless providers that lack significant amounts of low-band spectrum to acquire such spectrum. Moreover, we expect that the vast majority of licenses auctioned in the spectrum reserve will have little or no impairments. Additionally, the market-based reserve is designed to promote competition as well as ensure that all bidders bear a fair share of the value of the spectrum for the public and the costs of broadcaster relocation. I am happy to report that this month, the Commission both affirmed the establishment of the reserve and set a cap on the amount of reserve spectrum that any entity could obtain in markets with a population of less than 500,000. I share your goal and believe that these two actions will help ensure that consumers will benefit directly from increased competition in all parts of the country - including rural, suburban, and urban areas. Thank you for your ongoing interest in and support of our efforts to promote competition and choice in mobile broadband. I look forward to working with you toward our mutual goal of a successful incentive auction in early 2016 for the benefit of America' s consumers. Sincerely~~~ e;:eler FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN The Honorable Chris Coons United States Senate 383 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Coons: August 20, 2015 Thank you for your letter supporting competition in the wireless marketplace. I share your view that the upcoming incentive auction is a unique opportunity to promote greater competition and choice, and to promote economic growth, by making additional low-band spectrum available for wireless broadband. One of our priorities for the Incentive Auction is to assure that competitive providers have a meaningful opportunity to access low-band spectrum. This is particularly important in rural areas, where low-band spectrum is necessary if competitors are to fill in their coverage gaps, and in urban areas, where low-band spectrum allows more reliable in-building coverage. I agree that facilitating access to low-band spectrum by multiple providers is important to preserve and promote competition in the mobile wireless marketplace, which brings consumers more choices, lower prices, and higher quality services. For these reasons, as you note, the Commission has established a groundbreaking spectrum reserve for competitors in every market nationwide. The market-based spectrum reserve for the incentive auction will facilitate an opportunity for mobile wireless providers that lack significant amounts of low-band spectrum to acquire such spectrum. Moreover, we expect that the vast majority of licenses auctioned in the spectrum reserve will have little or no impairments. Additionally, the market-based reserve is designed to promote competition as well as ensure that all bidders bear a fair share of the value of the spectrum for the public and the costs of broadcaster relocation. I am happy to repo11 that this month, the Commission both affirmed the establishment of the reserve and set a cap on the amount of reserve spectrum that any entity could obtain in markets with a population of less than 500,000. I share your goal and believe that these two actions will help ensure that consumers will benefit directly from increased competition in all parts of the country - including rural , suburban, and urban areas. Thank you for your ongoing interest in and support of our efforts to promote competition and choice in mobile broadband. I look forward to working with you toward our mutual goal of a successful incentive auction in early 2016 for the benefit of America's consumers. -;?I/ti Tom Wheeler FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN The Honorable Angus King United States Senate 188 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator King: August 20, 2015 Thank you for your letter supporting competition in the wireless marketplace. I share your view that the upcoming incentive auction is a unique opportunity to promote greater competition and choice, and to promote economic growth, by making additional low-band spectrum available for wireless broadband. One of our priorities for the Incentive Auction is to assure that competitive providers have a meaningful opportunity to access low-band spectrum. This is particularly important in rural areas, where low-band spectrum is necessary if competitors are to fill in their coverage gaps, and in urban areas, where low-band spectrum allows more reliable in-building coverage. I agree that facilitating access to low-band spectrum by multiple providers is important to preserve and promote competition in the mobile wireless marketplace, which brings consumers more choices, lower prices, and higher quality services. For these reasons, as you note, the Commission has established a groundbreaking spectrum reserve for competitors in every market nationwide. The market-based spectrum reserve for the incentive auction will facilitate an opportunity for mobile wireless providers that lack significant amounts of low-band spectrum to acquire such spectrum. Moreover, we expect that the vast majority of licenses auctioned in the spectrum reserve will have little or no impairments. Additionally, the market-based reserve is designed to promote competition as well as ensure that all bidders bear a fair share of the value of the spectrum for the public and the costs of broadcaster relocation. I am happy to report that this month, the Commission both affirmed the establishment of the reserve and set a cap on the amount of reserve spectrum that any entity could obtain in markets with a population of less than 500,000. I share your goal and believe that these two actions will help ensure that consumers will benefit directly from increased competition in all parts of the country - including rural, suburban, and urban areas. Thank you for your ongoing interest in and support of our efforts to promote competition and choice in mobile broadband. I look forward to working with you toward our mutual goal of a successful incentive auction in early 2016 for the benefit of America' s consumers. d;'~// Tom Wheeler FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN The Honorable Amy Klobuchar United States Senate 302 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Klobuchar: August 20, 2015 Thank you for your letter supporting competition in the wireless marketplace. I share your view that the upcoming incentive auction is a unique opportunity to promote greater competition and choice, and to promote economic growth, by making additional low-band spectrum available for wireless broadband. One of our priorities for the Incentive Auction is to assure that competitive providers have a meaningful opportunity to access low-band spectrum. This is particularly important in rural areas, where low-band spectrum is necessary if competitors are to fill in their coverage gaps, and in urban areas, where low-band spectrum allows more reliable in-building coverage. I agree that facilitating access to low-band spectrum by multiple providers is important to preserve and promote competition in the mobile wireless marketplace, which brings consumers more choices, lower prices, and higher quality services. For these reasons, as you note, the Commission has established a groundbreaking spectrum reserve for competitors in every market nationwide. The market-based spectrum reserve for the incentive auction will facilitate an opportunity for mobile wireless providers that lack significant amounts of low-band spectrum to acquire such spectrum. Moreover, we expect that the vast majority of licenses auctioned in the spectrum reserve will have little or no impairments. Additionally, the market-based reserve is designed to promote competition as well as ensure that all bidders bear a fair share of the value of the spectrum for the public and the costs of broadcaster relocation. I am happy to report that this month, the Commission both affirmed the establishment of the reserve and set a cap on the amount of reserve spectrum that any entity could obtain in markets with a population of less than 500,000. I share your goal and believe that these two actions will help ensure that consumers will benefit directly from increased competition in all parts of the country - including rural, suburban, and urban areas. Thank you for your ongoing interest in and support of our efforts to promote competition and choice in mobile broadband. I look forward to working with you toward our mutual goal of a successful incentive auction in early 2016 for the benefit of America's consumers. ~yt!U- Tom Wheeler FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN The Honorable Patty Murray United States Senate 173 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Murray: August 20, 2015 Thank you for your letter supporting competition in the wireless marketplace. I share your view that the upcoming incentive auction is a unique opportunity to promote greater competition and choice, and to promote economic growth, by making additional low-band spectrum available for wireless broadband. One of our priorities for the Incentive Auction is to assure that competitive providers have a meaningful opportunity to access low-band spectrum. This is particularly important in rural areas, where low-band spectrum is necessary if competitors are to fill in their coverage gaps, and in urban areas, where low-band spectrum allows more reliable in-building coverage. I agree that facilitating access to low-band spectrum by multiple providers is important to preserve and promote competition in the mobile wireless marketplace, which brings consumers more choices, lower prices, and higher quality services. For these reasons, as you note, the Commission has established a groundbreaking spectrum reserve for competitors in every market nationwide. The market-based spectrum reserve for the incentive auction will facilitate an opportunity for mobile wireless providers that lack significant amounts of low-band spectrum to acquire such spectrum. Moreover, we expect that the vast majority of licenses auctioned in the spectrum reserve will have little or no impairments. Additionally, the market-based reserve is designed to promote competition as well as ensure that all bidders bear a fair share of the value of the spectrum for the public and the costs of broadcaster relocation. I am happy to report that this month, the Commission both affirmed the establishment of the reserve and set a cap on the amount of reserve spectrum that any entity could obtain in markets with a population of less than 500,000. I share your goal and believe that these two actions will help ensure that consumers will benefit directly from increased competition in all parts of the country - including rural, suburban, and urban areas. Thank you for your ongoing interest in and support of our efforts to promote competition and choice in mobile broadband. I look forward to working with you toward our mutual goal of a successful incentive auction in early 2016 for the benefit of America' s consumers. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHA I RMAN The Honorable Mark Warner United States Senate 475 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Warner: August 20, 2015 Thank you for your letter supporting competition in the wireless marketplace. I share your view that the upcoming incentive auction is a unique opportunity to promote greater competition and choice, and to promote economic growth, by making additional low-band spectrum available for wireless broadband. One of our priorities for the Incentive Auction is to assure that competitive providers have a meaningful opportunity to access low-band spectrum. This is particularly important in rural areas, where low-band spectrum is necessary if competitors are to fill in their coverage gaps, and in urban areas, where low-band spectrum allows more reliable in-building coverage. I agree that facilitating access to low-band spectrum by multiple providers is important to preserve and promote competition in the mobile wireless marketplace, which brings consumers more choices, lower prices, and higher quality services. For these reasons, as you note, the Commission has established a groundbreaking spectrum reserve for competitors in every market nationwide. The market-based spectrum reserve for the incentive auction will facilitate an opportunity for mobile wireless providers that lack significant amounts of low-band spectrum to acquire such spectrum. Moreover, we expect that the vast majority of licenses auctioned in the spectrum reserve will have little or no impairments. Additionally, the market-based reserve is designed to promote competition as well as ensure that all bidders bear a fair share of the value of the spectrum for the public and the costs of broadcaster relocation. I am happy to report that this month, the Commission both affirmed the establishment of the reserve and set a cap on the amount of reserve spectrum that any entity could obtain in markets with a population of less than 500,000. I share your goal and believe that these two actions will help ensure that consumers will benefit directly from increased competition in all parts of the country - including rural, suburban, and urban areas. Thank you for your ongoing interest in and support of our efforts to promote competition and choice in mobile broadband. I look forward to working with you toward our mutual goal of a successful incentive auction in early 2016 for the benefit of America' s consumers.