CLAIRE McCASKILL 
MISSOURI 
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WASHINGTON, DC 20510 
December 12, 2017 
The Honorable Ajit Pai, Chairman 
The Honorable Mignon Clyburn, Commissioner 
The Honorable Jessica Rosenworcel, Commissioner 
The Honorable Michael O'Rielly, Commissioner 
The Honorable Brendan Carr, Commissioner 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 121h Street SW 
Washington, DC 20554 
Dear Chairman Pai and Commissioners Clyburn, Rosenworcel, O'Rielly, and Carr: 
I write to urge the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ensure that the Connect 
America Fund (CAF) Phase II Auction has sufficient safeguards to ensure a fair auction and 
prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. 
Because AT&T declined CAF funding in Missouri, more than 112,000 locations in rural 
Missouri are preliminarily eligible for universal service funding through the auction. These 
unserved communities have been waiting years for broadband and the auction presents a unique 
opportunity to finally allow universal service funding to flow to these communities in Missouri. 
I am concerned, however, that the Commission may fail to adopt sufficient safeguards in the 
auction. Absent adequate safeguards, the auction could not only fail to connect rural Missouri 
with broadband, but also risks introducing waste and fraud into the program. I have been vigilant 
in tackling fraud in the FCC's universal service programs, especially Lifeline. Lifeline fraud 
continues to occur because the commission failed to put safeguards and oversight requirements 
in place, and the agency should not make the same mistake with respect to the CAF Phase II 
Auction. 
To protect the integrity of the program, I urge the commission to screen applicants to ensure they 
are both qualified to participate and have the ability to serve all unserved households in 
geographic areas where they are bidding with the applicable speed and capacity. Serving only a 
fraction of these households will fail to deliver on the promise of universal service. The 
commission should use the framework of the New York state auction as a model and require 
providers to submit propagation maps for wireless providers or network diagrams for other 
providers to ensure they have designed a network that can serve the area. Providing such 
information after the auction is over is too late. Providers should also show that they have the 
financial resources to deploy to ensure that the provider does not default before fulfilling its 
obligation. 
In addition, I strongly encourage the commission to prevent technologies from bidding in speed 
tiers that are not commercially available today. I agree with the electric cooperatives and rural 
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telephone companies in Missouri that wireless and satellite internet service providers should not 
be able to bid in the 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps tiers. While I support technology neutrality, the 
commission should not use finite universal service funding on technologies that are not yet 
available and - indeed - may never be available. 
Adopting these common sense safeguards should help ensure a fair auction and help to finally 
deliver on our nation' s universal service promise to rural Missourians. 
Thank you for your leadership adopting the final rules for the CAF Phase II Auction and 
committing to conduct the auction in 2018. I look forward to continuing to work together to 
close the digital divide in Missouri. 
Sincerely, 
~~c~ 
Claire McCaskill 
United States Senator