Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin, Ranking member Boozman, and distinguished colleagues, thank you for the opportunity to testify today in support of my bill H.R. 3786, The Servicemembers Telecom Contract Relief Act.

As the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs observed in the report accompanying the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, “Congress has long recognized that the men and women of our military services should have legal protections so they can devote their entire energy to the defense needs of the Nation.”  The bill I offer today for your consideration is but a modest step in providing those legal protections, but it is an important one. 

A constituent call first led me to examine this issue, but further research and discussions disclosed other instances in which servicemembers had difficulties suspending or terminating contracts for telecommunication services after receiving orders for overseas deployment.  Although many service providers have express policies for suspension or termination of telecommunication contracts for those called to active service, those policies weren’t always followed.  Some degree of certainty regarding the rights and obligations of servicemembers is therefore necessary. 

H.R. 3786 provides that certainty.  The bill allows members of the armed services to suspend or terminate contracts for telecommunications services when those services are no longer of any use to them because of a call to active duty, an involuntary extension of the period of military service, or deployment overseas to locations where those services are not available.  In so doing, the bill tracks similar provisions in the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act that allow someone called to active service to terminate leases for a house, apartment, or automobile.

Extending this relief to telecommunication services makes sense.  At a time when soldiers must concentrate on their mission and their safety, they shouldn’t be worrying about bills for their cell phones, cable, or internet service back home.  As the mother of one soldier serving in Iraq put it, her son “is over there risking his neck, and he shouldn’t have to deal with a cell phone company.”

In no way do I mean to suggest that this bill is in response to widespread negligence or malfeasance by telecommunication service providers.  In the overwhelming majority of case, those providers have demonstrated their commitment to our troops and have been flexible in dealing with contract disputes.  Indeed, most service providers adhere to the letter and spirit of their policies providing for contract cancellations or suspensions for servicemembers put on active duty. 

This legislation merely provides additional recourse – and peace of mind – in the handful of cases in which there is uncertainty about a servicemember’s obligations after being called to active duty.  At that time, the cable bill should be the furthest thing from the mind of someone charged with defending our country.

Representatives of the telecommunications industry have reached out to my office to recommend changes to harmonize this legislation with the Communications Act and to refine certain other provisions.  I appreciate the cooperative spirit in which those suggestions have been made and intend to adopt many of them should this bill proceed to markup.

Finally, I wish to clarify that while my bill is narrower than H.R. 3298, introduced by Mr. Murphy of Pennsylvania, I do support his bill, which I have cosponsored.  I chose to focus exclusively on telecommunications services because of the unique importance of those services to my constituents in Silicon Valley.  We are acutely aware of the growing role that telecommunications play in keeping us connected to one another.  Advances in telecommunications technology have extraordinarily enhanced the ability of our active servicemembers abroad to stay in touch with loved ones back home.  My bill ensures that telecommunication services remain a benefit rather than a burden to those servicemembers.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today about this important legislation.