February __, 2010

Dear Colleague:

I know that you join me in supporting the important goals of the broadband stimulus program
within the Recovery Act. For job creation and economic recovery in general, our nation simply
cannot continue to slip behind other developed countries in the availability and adoption of
broadband services.

Study after study has demonstrated that our rural areas will never achieve the job growth and
economic vitality our citizens deserve unless we can see ubiquitous broadband deployment
across rural America. No less critically, we can no longer tolerate the continuing urban digital
divide in which large numbers constituents in cities either do not have broadband readily
available, or cannot adopt broadband services because of cost.

I am writing today, as a strong supporter of the broadband stimulus program in the Act and of
the President’s efforts to finally put national broadband issues front and center in our policy
agenda, to ask your support and co-signature on our communication being sent to the
Secretaries of Agriculture and Commerce about the program.

The tremendous oversubscription of applications (nearly 2,200) submitted for funding Round I
has placed a tremendous burden on the two agencies administering the effort. Now, with the
care and diligence shown by the agencies – NTIA at Commerce, and RUS at Agriculture – in
reviewing those applicants, and in awarding the initial grants and loans, the program is up
against a very tight application window for Round II (February 16 – March 15). Additionally, and
importantly, adequate information about Round I awarded and rejected applications is not being
released by the agencies so that Round I applicants that were not awarded funds can know why
such decision were made.

Taken together these factors of time and frankly of a lack of transparency in the program, mean
that your constituents and mine that need federal funds for broadband deployment, public
computing centers, and sustainable broadband adoption are being greatly disadvantaged by the
current processes of the program.

I would welcome your co-signature on the attached letters to Secretaries Locke and Vilsack, for
the benefit of our constituents, and for the improvement of an important program.

Sincerely,

_________________
Secretary Gary Locke
U.S. Department of Commerce

Secretary Tom Vilsack

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Dear Mr. Secretaries Locke and Vilsack,

We are writing to you today to thank you for moving ahead with the implementation of the
broadband stimulus provisions of the Recovery Act. For job creation and economic recovery in
general, our nation simply cannot continue to slip behind other developed countries in the
availability and adoption of broadband services.

Study after study has demonstrated that our rural areas will never achieve the job growth and
economic vitality our citizens deserve unless we can see ubiquitous broadband deployment
across rural America. No less critically, we can no longer tolerate the continuing urban digital
divide in which large numbers constituents in cities either do not have broadband readily
available, or cannot adopt broadband services because of cost.

We are writing today, as strong supporters of the broadband stimulus program in the Act and of
the President’s efforts to finally put national broadband issues front and center in our policy
agenda. We ask for your expeditious support in resolving three (3) issues of program
implementation which our constituents have turned to us for assistance.

The tremendous oversubscription of applications (nearly 2,200) submitted for funding Round I
has placed a tremendous burden on the two agencies administering the effort. Now, with the
care and diligence shown by the agencies – NTIA at Commerce, and RUS at Agriculture – in
reviewing those applicants, and in awarding the initial grants and loans, the program is up
against a very tight application window for Round II (February 16 – March 15). Additionally, and
importantly, adequate information about Round I awarded and rejected applications is not being
released by the agencies so that Round I applicants that were not awarded funds can know why
such decision were made.

Taken together these factors of time and frankly of a lack of transparency in the program, mean
that applicants for funds in our districts, and in our are being greatly disadvantaged by the
current processes of the program.

We strongly urge you to immediately direct your appropriate agencies to execute the following
three (3) items:

1. Extend the funding Round II application deadline from the current deadline of March
15 to a new deadline of April 30th. Public interest organizations like the National Association of
Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), the Center for Rural Strategies, Native
Public Media, the Benton Foundation, and the New America Foundation have already
recommended this deadline change publicly.
 2. Release all information about Round I applications, awards, and rejections, to the
extent that such data has not been requested by the applicants to be held as proprietary, so that
Round II applicants (including Round I applicants that have been rejected) will have a fully open
and transparent view of the critical information required for their Round II submittals.

3. Allow for at least a four (4) week period between the new Round II application filing
deadline of April 30th and the public award of all grant and loan monies in Round I, with the
appropriate release of data regarding each award and rejection.

We believe these three (3) simple changes to the program will greatly benefit the program itself,
and our constituents that truly need and welcome your assistance with the broadband future for
our nation.

Sincerely,

___________________