JON TESTER sens United States Senate sincera sur 2 4 ‘The Honorable Tom Wheeler ‘Chairman Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street SW Washington, DC 20554 Dear Chairman Wheeler: Thank you for visiting Montana last October for discussions on building telecommunication infrastructure and connecting all Montanans to reliable and affordable high speed Internet. As you saw first-hand, Montana is an enormous state. While we treasure our beautiful and sparsely populated wide-open spaces, we also face unique challenges in deploying broadband services to all. I appreciate your willingness to come to Montana to see these challenges for yourself and your willingness to address issues in rural America. 1am excited to work with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on putting into action the discussions we had in Montana. This effort starts with ensuring that the FCC improves the strength and predictability of the Universal Service Fund (USF). Montana receives around $100 million annually from the USF to connect our homes, businesses, schools, hospitals and families to telecommunication services. Many Montanans are diligently working to deploy infrastructure around our state. We heard about many outstanding success stories on your trip, but we also learned that there is still a lot progress to make. As you work on finalizing updated rules for the USF, I urge the FCC emphasize restoring predictably to the fund. With the right tools and resources, [ am confident Montana’s carriers will continue to invest in high-speed broadband, As with running any business, the predictability of those resources is a key component to success. That's why designing a consistent, forward- looking and long-term funding structure for USF is fundamental to deploying broadband in unserved and underserved areas, also look forward to seeing updated rules to address standalone broadband. As we discussed in Montana, many folks are moving away from traditional telephone lines as a primary form of communication, At the same time, Montanans’ demand for broadband services continues to rise. Yet, current rules require consumers to purchase traditional telephone line service in order for a location to be eligible for USF. I urge you to change this outdated rule to allow consumers to purchase broadband only service. Bozstaan 1406) 586-4450appreciate your continued commitment to rural America, and I look forward to working with you in the coming year to address telecommunication issues facing Montana. I stand ready to work with you to connect all Montanans to advanced telecommunications infrastructure. Sincerely, a