520llnitcd ~totes ~cnatr WASHINGTON, DC 20510 
The Honorable Ajit Pai 
Chairman 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 1 21h Street, SW 
Washington, DC 20554 
Dear Chai rman Pai: 
June 22, 2017 
We appreciate your efforts to prioritize broadband deployment and support in rural 
America. Universal service - the requirement that Americans in even the most remote areas of 
the nation should have access to comparable services- includes access to reliable, affordable 
broadband. Therefore, we urge you to move forward with the Remote Areas Fund (RAF) to 
appropriately target limited Universal Service Fund (USF) support towards the most difficult to 
serve areas in our states that remain unserved. 
The RAF has the potential to take another critical step towards addressing the current 
digital divide. We are encouraged by the Commission' s recent rcaflinnation that it "will seek to 
commence the Remote Areas Fund auction no later than one year after the commencement of the 
rconnect America Fund] Phase II auction." Many of the RAF-eligiblc communities still lack 
access to a viable broadband option. Therefore, we believe the RAF must be structured to reach 
these extremely high-cost areas throughout rural America. 
Mindful of the Commission' s objective of targeting these unserved or underserved areas, 
we believe technology-neutral rules will encourage broad and robust provider participation and 
will increase the likelihood that these remote areas will be served and deliver the most value per 
limited resources spent. Given lhat USf support is des igned towards areas where there is no 
business case to offer comparable services at comparable rates, the Commission should structure 
the RAP so that providers, regardless of techno logy, can compete to serve unserved or 
underserved areas that have the greatest need for new broadband deployment. 
We believe lhe RAF bas the opportunity to narrow the broadband gap in the most remote, 
hardest to reach places in rural America. We look forward to continuing to work closely with 
you to ensure this universal service requirement becomes a reality. 
Sincerely, 
Jerry Moran 
United States Senator 
CC: Mignon Clyburn, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission 
CC: Mike O'Rielly, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission