II 

109TH CONGRESS 

2ND SESSION S. 2653 

To direct the Federal Communications Commission to make efforts to reduce 

telephone rates for Armed Forces personnel deployed overseas. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 26, 2006 

Mr. STEVENS (for himself, Mr. INOUYE, Mr. BURNS, Mr. DORGAN, Mr. LOTT, 

Mrs. BOXER, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. NELSON of Florida, Mr. VITTER, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. WARNER, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. BOND, Ms. LANDRIEU, 

Mr. GREGG, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. DEWINE, Mr. JEFFORDS, Mr. INHOFE, 

Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. COLEMAN, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. SANTORUM, Ms. 

DOLE, Mr. BENNETT, Mr. ALLARD, Mr. DOMENICI, Mr. ENZI, Mr. 

GRAHAM, Ms. SNOWE, Mr. ROCKEFELLER, Mr. THOMAS, Mr. PRYOR, 

Mrs. CLINTON, Mr. CRAIG, Mr. TALENT, and Mr. BURR) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

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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•S 2653 IS 

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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•S 2653 IS 

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. 

Æ 


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