FCC, please increase Connect America funding.

To:

The Honorable Julius Genachowski Chairman
Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W.
April 3, 2013
Washington, DC 20554

Re: WC Docket No. 10-90, Connect America Fund; WC Docket No. 05-337, High-Cost Universal Service Support

Dear Chairman Genachowski:

As CEOs of three of the largest price cap telecommunications companies committed to serving rural America, we believe our mission and the goals of the Commission are aligned in supporting further deployment of broadband services to rural America. We want the benefits of broadband-enabled networks delivered as expeditiously as possible to all Americans. Additional Connect America Fund (CAF) Phase I funding is critical to making this happen for citizens living in rural, high cost areas.

We are committed to working with you to develop a framework for the prompt distribution of Phase I funding. The public policy established by the Administration and articulated in the National Broadband Plan recognizes that broadband connectivity is more than a game changer – it is a life changer and absolutely necessary to our country’s economic recovery and prosperity. High-speed broadband has become an indispensable platform for economic growth and job creation and provides access to educational opportunities and improved healthcare.

We remain fully committed to the reform process established in the USF/ICC Transformation Order. We continue to work with Commission staff to perfect the permanent Phase II reforms as soon as possible. In the meantime, the expeditious distribution of Phase I support provides an immediate opportunity to accelerate broadband availability in rural America.

More than 80 Senators and Congressmen from both sides of the aisle have voiced their support for the distribution of these ratepayer-collected funds. CenturyLink, Frontier and Windstream stand ready and able to use this funding, in conjunction with our own private capital, to create jobs and invest in rural America.
The arrival of spring signals the start of the building season across much of America. With Phase I support, hundreds of thousands of households will experience the benefits of robust broadband for the first time.

We look forward to working with you to deliver on the broadband promise.

Glen F. Post, III CEO and President CenturyLink, Inc.
Maggie Wilderotter Chairman and CEO Frontier Communications
Jeff Gardner President and CEO Windstream

cc: Commissioner Robert M. McDowell Commissioner Mignon Clyburn Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel Commissioner Ajit Pai

Frontier, CenturyLink, Windstream letter to the FCC
http://cwa.bluestatedigital.com/page/-/Frontier%20FCC%20letter.PDF