  Topological surface states have been extensively observed via optics in thin
films of topological insulators. However, in typical thick single crystals of
these materials, bulk states are dominant and it is difficult for optics to
verify the existence of topological surface states definitively. In this work,
we studied the charge dynamics of the newly formulated bulk-insulating Sn-doped
Bi$_{1.1}$Sb$_{0.9}$Te$_2$S crystal by using time-domain terahertz
spectroscopy. This compound shows much better insulating behavior than any
other bulk-insulating topological insulators reported previously. The
transmission can be enhanced an amount which is 5$\%$ of the zero-field
transmission by applying magnetic field to 7 T, an effect which we believe is
due to the suppression of topological surface states. This suppression is
essentially independent of the thicknesses of the samples, showing the
two-dimensional nature of the transport. The suppression of surface states in
field allows us to use the crystal slab itself as a reference sample to extract
the surface conductance, mobility, charge density and scattering rate. Our
measurements set the stage for the investigation of phenomena out of the
semi-classical regime, such as the topological magneto-electric effect.
