109TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 2653

AN ACT

To direct the Federal Communications Commission to make

efforts to reduce telephone rates for Armed Forces personnel deployed overseas.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Call Home Act of

5 2006’’.
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1 SEC. 2. TELEPHONE RATES FOR MEMBERS OF ARMED

2 FORCES DEPLOYED ABROAD.

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Communications

4 Commission shall take such action as may be necessary

5 to reduce the cost of calling home for Armed Forces per6 sonnel who are stationed outside the United States under

7 official military orders or deployed outside the United

8 States in support of military operations, training exer9 cises, or other purposes as approved by the Secretary of

10 Defense, including the reduction of such costs through the

11 waiver of government fees, assessments, or other charges

12 for such calls. The Commission may not regulate rates in

13 order to carry out this section.

14 (b) FACTORS TO CONSIDER.—In taking the action

15 described in subsection (a), the Commission, in coordina16 tion with the Department of Defense and the Department

17 of State, shall—

18 (1) evaluate and analyze the costs to Armed

19 Forces personnel of such telephone calls to and from

20 American military bases abroad;

21 (2) evaluate methods of reducing the rates im22 posed on such calls, including deployment of new

23 technology such as voice over internet protocol or

24 other Internet protocol technology;

25 (3) encourage telecommunications carriers (as

26 defined in section 3(44) of the Communications Act
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1 of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153(44))) to adopt flexible bill2 ing procedures and policies for Armed Forces per3 sonnel and their dependents for telephone calls to

4 and from such Armed Forces personnel; and

5 (4) seek agreements with foreign governments

6 to reduce international surcharges on such telephone

7 calls.

8 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:

9 (1) ARMED FORCES.—The term ‘‘Armed

10 Forces’’ has the meaning given that term by section

11 2101(2) of title 5, United States Code.

12 (2) MILITARY BASE.—The term ‘‘military base’’

13 includes official duty stations to include vessels,

14 whether such vessels are in port or underway outside

15 of the United States.

16 SEC. 3. REPEAL OF EXISTING AUTHORIZATION.

17 Section 213 of the Telecommunications Authorization

18 Act of 1992 (47 U.S.C. 201 note) is repealed.

19 SEC. 4. PUBLIC SAFETY INTEROPERABLE COMMUNICA20 TIONS GRANTS.

21 Pursuant to section 3006 of Public Law 109–171 (47

22 U.S.C. 309 note), the Assistant Secretary for Communica23 tions and Information of the Department of Commerce,

24 in consultation with the Secretary of the Department of

25 Homeland Security, shall award no less than
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1 $1,000,000,000 for public safety interoperable commu2 nications grants no later than September 30, 2007 subject

3 to the receipt of qualified applications as determined by

4 the Assistant Secretary.

Passed the Senate December 6, 2006.

Attest:

Secretary.
109TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 2653

AN ACT

To direct the Federal Communications Commission

Armed Forces personnel deployed overseas.to make efforts to reduce telephone rates for