CHARLES E. SCHUMER NEW YORK tfinitfd ~totes ~rnatr The Honorable Thomas Wheeler Chairman Federal Communications Commission 445 lih Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 Dear Chairman Wheeler: WASHINGTON, DC 20510 June 5, 2014 COMMITIFfS· BANKING DEMOCRATIC POLICY & COMMUNICATIONS FINANCE JUDICIARY RULES As you know, I joined ten of my colleagues in writing to you before the issuance of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on net neutrality. In that letter we urged you to preserve a free and open internet and to keep all options on the table for doing so. I was encouraged to see that the final NPRM did solicit comments on multiple avenues for the Commission to promulgate rules consistent with the principles of an open internet, and I thank you for taking those concerns seriously. Since the FCC's comment period on the NPRM opened last month, I understand you have received nearly 50,000 comments from concerned citizens who share my belief that it is the Commission's responsibility to protect and preserve an open internet. While the Commission is accustomed to hearing from businesses who are concerned with proposed changes to telecommunications Jaw, I cannot recall a time when ordinary Americans have been so engaged in a regulatory issue. The overwhelming response from the public, many of whom are my constituents in New York, should underscore for the Commission how important this question is to Americans in their everyday lives. I therefore urge you to give significant weight to the public input in your rulemaking process. While they may not be the businesses from whom you are accustomed to hearing, the fact that ordinary citizens would take time out of their days to weigh in on a complicated regulatory issue is a clear indicator of its significance. These citizens believe firmly that the Commission must craft meaningful rules that will prevent blocking, ban discrimination, and promote increased transparency in the Internet marketplace. As you proceed forward in the rulemaking process, I hope and trust that you will heed the will of my constituents and use the full power of your authority to protect internet freedom and accessibility. I firmly believe that keeping access to the internet affordable and readily available to all Americans is critical to preserving our country•s future as a free and fair twenty-first century society. Sincerely, Senator Charles Schumer