tinitcd ~tatrs ~rnetr 
WASHINGTON, DC 20510 
The Honorable Tom Wheeler 
Chairman 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 12th Street, SW 
Washington, DC 20536 
Dear Chairman Wheeler: 
November 13, 2014 
Phase II of the Connect America Fund ("CAF II") offers an opportunity to bring high 
speed, broadband connections to millions of Americans in rural areas served by the larger "price 
cap" carriers. Indeed, the FCC's June 10 Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) has 
raised hopes by more than doubling the promised download speeds in the 2011 USF/ICC 
Transformation Order, from 4 Mbps to 10 Mbps. And because CAF II represents the final phase 
of Universal Service reform, its rule will effectively determine, for years to come, how 
broadband support is distributed in these areas. 
We are writ ing today to emphasize how important it is to ensure that the final details of 
CAF II live up to its promise. We are concerned that if the Commission more than doubles the 
speed requirements without allowing the appropriate level of flexibility in other elements of CAF 
II, the program' s overall mission could be endangered. 
To the Commission' s credit, its FNPRM identifies a number of constructive ideas that 
could help achieve the high speed network goals. These include extending the term of support 
up to ten years and providing flexibility on the build-out parameters. We hope you will include 
these goals in the final implementation of CAF II without exceeding the CAF II annual budget. 
Thank you for considering our concerns, and we look forward to working with you. 
~~h Ron .Joh11Sl1 
U.S. Senator 
cc: Commissioner Clyburn 
Commissioner Rosenworcel 
Commissioner Pai 
Commissioner O'Rielly 
S incerely, 
• 
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