OFFICE OF
THE CHAIRMAN
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
WASHINGTON
March 14, 2018
The Honorable Collin C. Peterson
U.S. House of Representatives
2109 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Congressman Peterson:
Thank you for your letter in support of providing additional funding and flexibility for
broadband deployment in rural America. Your views are very important and will be entered into
the record of our proceeding and considered as part of the Commission's review.
Since my first day as Chairman, I've said that my highest priority is making sure every
American who wants high-speed Internet access can get it. Rural Americans deserve the same
digital access as those living in urban areas, and a key way to reach this goal in rural areas is
updating the FCC's high-cost universal service program to encourage cooperative and other
small, rural carriers to build more online infrastructure.
But I've heard from community leaders, Congress, and carriers that insufficient,
unpredictable funding has kept them from reaching this goal. That is why I shared with my
fellow commissioners an order that would promote more high-speed broadband deployment in
rural areas.
If adopted, the order would provide over $500 million in additional funding to
cooperative and small rural carriers-including those participating in the Alternative Connect
America Model (A-CAM) plan. And it seeks public input on both further increasing support to
current A-CAM recipients and on giving legacy rate-of-return carriers a new chance to elect
model-based support. Increased funding will boost broadband deployment in rural America, and
the accompanying reforms will put our high-cost system on a more efficient path, helping to
ensure that every American can benefit from the digital revolution.
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further
assistance.