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The Honorable Thomas Wheeler 
Chairman 
Federal Conm1Unications Commission 
445 tih Street SW 
Washington, DC 20554 
Dear Chairman Wheeler: 
WASHINGTON, DC 20510 
June 30, 2015 
We commend the Federal Communications Conunission (FCC) for its ongoing work to design 
and implement the 600 MHz Broadcast Incentive Auction (Incentive Auction). Given its 
propagation characteristics, 600 MHz spectrum provides a unique oppmiunity to ensure rural 
consumers, small businesses, students, energy producers and many others have access to state­
of-the-art wireless broadband communication services. In particular, we recognize the FCC's 
proposed bidding credit rules as a positive step to promote a competitive marketplace and 
ensure rural consumers obtain wireless services reasonably comparable to their urban 
counterparts. 
As part of ongoing efforts to examine competitive bidding rules for spectrum, we remind the 
FCC that section 3090) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, requires the agency to 
avoid excessive concentration of licenses and to ensure that small business and rural telephone 
companies are given the opportunity to participate in competitive bidding systems. We are 
encouraged to see the proposed rules recognize Congress's intent that rural telephone companies, 
separate and apart from other small businesses, have the opportunity to provide spectrum based 
services and to ensure rural consumers have access to reasonably comparable services. We 
recommend that the FCC adjust its rural carrier bidding credit proposal to more comprehensively 
address the challenges faced by rural telephone companies. A well-designed rural telco bidding 
credit would offer rural providers the oppm1unity to better compete for spectrum against larger 
providers . 
Rural telephone companies have a responsibility to their communities and a history of providing 
modern communication services to the more rural areas of our country. For example, rural 
companies are often located in the communities they serve and make service decisions based on 
the needs of their community. Despite their commitment to their communities and interest in 
obtaining additional spectrum, rural providers were virtually shut out of the recent A WS-3 
auction and accounted for just 1.55 percent of the total licenses won. 
The Honorable Thomas Wheeler 
Page2 
Given our shared commitment to rural consumers and a successful implementation of the 
Incentive Auction, we urge the FCC to increase the rural provider bidding credit to help ensure 
that rural providers have a reasonable opportunity to obtain spectrum to serve rural consumers. 
We look forward to hearing from you about this important matter. 
Jl~~tl,: ~iJ~ 
Heidi Heitkamp 
Sincerely, 
United States Senator 
Al Franken 
United States Senator 
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Amy Klobuchar 
United States Senator 
Jon Tester 
United States Senator 
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Jeanne Shaheen 
United States Senator 
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