FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
OF'FICE or 
THE CHAIRMAN 
The Honorable Tom Cotton 
U.S. House ofRepresentatives 
415 Cannon House Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20515 
Dear Congressman Cotton: 
April22, 2014 
Thank you for your letter expressing concerns on the implementation of the urban rate 
floor. I appreciate your views and will ensure that your letter will be included in the record of 
the proceeding and considered as part of the Commission's review. 
In the 2011 USF/ICC Transformation Order, the Commission unanimously adopted 
reforms to make universal service a fairer system for all consumers and businesses. The Order 
includes a phase-out of excessive subsidies for basic phone service, which allowed some phone 
companies to charge their customers as little as $5 a month while average urban, suburban, and 
even some other rural consumers, were paying over three times that amount. The Commission 
determined it was inappropriate to use limited federal high-cost support to subsidize local rates 
beyond what is necessary to ensure reasonable comparability between urban and suburban rates 
and rural rates, as required by Congress. The reforms gradually eliminate these excessive 
subsidies to level the playing field for all consumers and contain the cost of the program, which 
is funded by universal service fees paid by consumers. 
While the Commission 's rules do not require carriers to raise their local rates, I recognize 
there are concerns over potentially sizable rate increases and the possible difficulty some carriers 
may experience in making any rate adjustments at state level in a short period of time. To 
address these concerns, as I indicated during recent House and Senate Appropriations hearings, I 
have proposed to my fellow Commissioners that we delay the implementation of any universal 
service support reductions to provide carriers with additional time to consider whether they wish 
to make any rate changes and to enable them to phase in any changes over a longer period of 
time. This will allow implementation of the Commission's statutory obligation to ensure 
reasonably comparable rates. These proposed recommendations are included in an Order 
currently on circulation for consideration for the Commission's April Open Meeting. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further 
assistance. 
Tom Wheeler 
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASH IN GTON 
OFFICE OF 
THE CHAIRMAN 
The Honorable Rick Crawford 
U.S. House of Representatives 
1711 Longworth House Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20515 
Dear Congressman Crawford: 
April 22, 2014 
Thank you for your letter expressing concerns on the implementation of the urban rate 
floor. I appreciate your views and will ensure that your letter will be included in the record of 
the proceeding and considered as part of the Commission's review. 
In the 2011 USF/ICC Transformation Order, the Commission unanimously adopted reforms to 
make universal service a fairer system for all consumers and businesses. The Order includes a 
phase-out of excessive subsidies for basic phone service, which allowed some phone companies 
to charge their customers as little as $5 a month while average urban, suburban, and even some 
other rural consumers, were paying over three times that amount. The Commission determined it 
was inappropriate to use limited federal high-cost support to subsidize local rates beyond what is 
necessary to ensure reasonable comparability between urban and suburban rates and rural rates, 
as required by Congress. The reforms gradually eliminate these excessive subsidies to level the 
playing field for all consumers and contain the cost of the program, which is funded by universal 
service fees paid by consumers. 
While the Commission's rules do not require carriers to raise their local rates, I recognize there 
are concerns over potentially sizable rate increases and the possible difficulty some carriers may 
experience in making any rate adjustments at state level in a short period of time. To address 
these concerns, as I indicated during recent House and Senate Appropriations hearings, I have 
proposed to my fellow Commissioners that we delay the implementation of any universal service 
support reductions to provide carriers with additional time to consider whether they wish to make 
any rate changes and to enable them to phase in any changes over a longer period of time. This 
will allow implementation of the Commission's statutory obligation to ensure reasonably 
comparable rates. These proposed recommendations are included in an Order currently on 
circulation for consideration for the Commission's April Open Meeting. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know ifl can be of any further 
assistance. 
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
OFFICE OF 
THE CHAIRMAN 
The Honorable Tim Griffin 
U.S. House of Representatives 
1232 Longworth House Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20515 
Dear Congressman Griffin: 
April 22, 2014 
Thank you for your letter expressing concerns on the implementation of the urban rate 
floor. I appreciate your views and will ensure that your letter will be included in the record of 
the proceeding and considered as part of the Commission's review. 
In the 2011 USF/ICC Transformation Order, the Commission unanimously adopted reforms to 
make universal service a fairer system for all consumers and businesses. The Order includes a 
phase-out of excessive subsidies for basic phone service, which allowed some phone companies 
to charge their customers as little as $5 a month while average urban, suburban, and even some 
other rural consumers, were paying over three times that amount. The Commission determined it 
was inappropriate to use limited federal high-cost support to subsidize local rates beyond what is 
necessary to ensure reasonable comparability between urban and suburban rates and rural rates, 
as required by Congress. The reforms gradually eliminate these excessive subsidies to level the 
playing field for all consumers and contain the cost of the program, which is funded by universal 
service fees paid by consumers. 
While the Commission's rules do not require carriers to raise their local rates, I recognize there 
are concerns over potentially sizable rate increases and the possible difficulty some carriers may 
experience in making any rate adjustments at state level in a short period oftime. To address 
these concerns, as I indicated during recent House and Senate Appropriations hearings, I have 
proposed to my fellow Commissioners that we delay the implementation of any universal service 
support reductions to provide carriers with additional time to consider whether they wish to make 
any rate changes and to enable them to phase in any changes over a longer period of time. This 
will allow implementation of the Commission's statutory obligation to ensure reasonably 
comparable rates. These proposed recommendations are included in an Order currently on 
circulation for consideration for the Commission's April Open Meeting. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further 
assistance. 
Tom Wheeler 
FEDERAL COMMUNIC ATION S C O MMI SSIO N 
WA S HINGTO N 
OFFICE OF 
TH E CHAIRMAN 
The Honorable Steve Womack 
U.S. House of Representatives 
1119 Longworth House Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20515 
Dear Congressman Womack: 
April 22, 2014 
Thank you for your letter expressing concerns on the implementation of the urban rate 
floor. I appreciate your views and will ensure that your letter will be included in the record of 
the proceeding and considered as part of the Commission's review. 
In the 2011 USF/ICC Transformation Order, the Commission unanimously adopted reforms to 
make universal service a fairer system for all consumers and businesses. The Order includes a 
phase-out of excessive subsidies for basic phone service, which allowed some phone companies 
to charge their customers as little as $5 a month while average urban, suburban, and even some 
other rural consumers, were paying over three times that amount. The Commission determined it 
was inappropriate to use limited federal high-cost support to subsidize local rates beyond what is 
necessary to ensure reasonable comparability between urban and suburban rates and rural rates, 
as required by Congress. The reforms gradually eliminate these excessive subsidies to level the 
playing field for all consumers and contain the cost of the program, which is funded by universal 
service fees paid by consumers. 
While the Commission's rules do not require carriers to raise their local rates, I recognize there 
are concerns over potentially sizable rate increases and the possible difficulty some carriers may 
experience in making any rate adjustments at state level in a short period of time. To address 
these concerns, as I indicated during recent House and Senate Appropriations hearings, I have 
proposed to my fellow Commissioners that we delay the implementation of any universal service 
support reductions to provide carriers with additional time to consider whether they wish to make 
any rate changes and to enable them to phase in any changes over a longer period of time. This 
will allow implementation of the Commission's statutory obligation to ensure reasonably 
comparable rates. These proposed recommendations are included in an Order currently on 
circulation for consideration for the Commission's April Open Meeting. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further 
assistance. 
sincer~z ( / 
--tb-/llftw[,-
Tom Wheeler