FCC Chairman Wheeler's Response to Senator Cochran and Senator Stabenow Regarding Mobility Demand in Rural and High-Cost Areas

On December 9, 2014, Sens Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) wrote Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler to have the FCC reconcile its rules for Phase II of the Mobility Fund with the challenges of realizing quality wireless coverage in rural America, and to have the FCC craft a Universal Service support mechanism that will meet rural America's growing need for access to competitive advanced wireless services.

On January 29, 2015, Chairman Wheeler responded, writing, "The Commission in the 2011 USF/ICC Transformation Order took significant strides to update the universal service program to reflect the realities of the 21st century. In particular, the Commission adopted specific performance goals to preserve and advance the universal availability of voice service and to ensure the universal availability of modern networks capable of providing advanced mobile voice and broadband services....Our goal is consistent with yours: how best to use the limited funds available to us to ensure that rural Americans can take advantage of the opportunities presented by a 'mobile society.'"