1STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER MIGNON L. CLYBURN Re: Connect America Fund, WC Docket No. 10-90; Universal Service Reform – Mobility Fund, WT Docket No. 10-208 While clearly not a functionally-equivalent substitute for a fixed connection, many people rely solely on their mobile connection for broadband access. Whether it is because there is no fixed option available, or that a wireless connection is all they can afford, mobile broadband is a connectivity lifesaver for many Americans. But more people than we are comfortable admitting, are without access to adequate mobile broadband connections. Indeed, the findings in our most recent Broadband Deployment Report revealed that over 60 million Americans remain without access to 10 Mbps up and 3 Mbps down mobile broadband service. This underscores the need to move with all due haste to make Mobility Fund Phase II a reality. I have pushed to make this auction happen ever since the completion of Mobility Fund Phase I, so I am pleased that this item finally clears the decks of the last disputed policy details. While I am also pleased that we make things easier for smaller providers to participate in this auction by easing our Letter of Credit requirements, and that we do not back down on requiring auction winners to provide speeds of 10 Mbps/1 Mbps and latency of 100 milliseconds or less, I am disappointed that we did not institute a small business bidding credit for this auction. We are now able, however, to move forward with the challenge process. Rest assured, I will be watching the process closely, to ensure that it runs smoothly and fairly for all providers. Thanks to the Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau for their work on this item.