FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFF ICE OF THE CHA I R M AN The Honorable Ryan Costello U.S. House of Representatives 326 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Congressman Costello: April20,2017 Thank you for your letter supporting the appointment of Betsy E. Huber, President of the National Grange, to serve on the Commission's Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC). Last September, I proposed what I called a Digital Empowerment Agenda-a blueprint of policies that would accelerate the deployment of high-speed Internet access, or broadband, in communities across the country, including rural America. The BDAC is intended to provide an effective means for stakeholders to exchange ideas and develop recommendations to the Commission on broadband deployment. Its mission will be to identify regulatory barriers to infrastructure investment and to make recommendations on reducing and/or removing them, which will in tum enhance the Commission's ability to carry out its statutory responsibility to encourage broadband deployment to all Americans. We were fortunate to have an excellent and deep pool of applicants to serve on the BDAC, including Ms. Huber. The Commission received over 380 applications, resulting in the selection of29 members for the BDAC, which will meet for the first time on April21 , 2017. In the coming weeks, we expect to select additional applicants to serve on the BDAC's working groups. We will certainly consider your recommendation and Ms. Huber' s impressive resume as the Commission reviews the nominations for the BDAC working groups. I appreciate your taking the time to communicate your recommendations to me. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance. Sincerely, % c (} - ' vt V· lOv-._ jit V. Pai