Content Manager posted on January 18, 2007 13:28
January 18, 2007
Stevens’ Call Home Legislation Enacted to Assist Military with Affordable Calls to Families
Alaskan Senator Applauds Speedy FCC Decision to Make it Easier for Military to Contact Hom
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) today said he was pleased to see Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Kevin J. Martin and the entire Commission act so quickly to begin implementing the Call Home Act of 2006 which passed Congress late last year. This legislation directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in coordination with the Department of Defense and the Department of State, to work to reduce phone rates for Armed Forces personnel deployed overseas. Stevens noted that the FCC’s action is the first step in the process, and that it will reduce costs for military personnel calling home. The bill was sponsored last year by Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii).
“I applaud Chairman Martin and the entire Commission for the speedy implementation of the Call Home Act,” said Senator Stevens. “As a former military pilot stationed overseas during World War II, I know how much it means to be able to communicate with families and loved ones at home. American service members used to rely on mail, but now our troops rely on the Internet and phone calls. It can cost soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan as much as 33 cents a minute to call their families in Alaska. Today’s action by the FCC will immediately provide our troops and their families with access to more affordable communications services.”
The legislation specifically authorizes the FCC to take actions necessary to reduce phone bills for troops deployed overseas, including the waiver of government fees, assessments, or other charges. In seeking to reduce such telephone rates, the measure directs the FCC to evaluate and analyze the costs of calls to and from official duty stations; evaluate methods of reducing rates including the deployment of new technology such as Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP); encourage phone companies to adopt flexible billing for troops and their dependents; and seek agreements with foreign governments to reduce international surcharges on phone calls.