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 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 For  Immediate  Release:  News  Media  Contact:  April  2,  2003  Rosemary  Kimball  at  (202)  418-  0511 
 e-  mail:  rkimball@  fcc.  gov 
 ENHANCED  MILITARY  OUTREACH  CAMPAIGN  LAUNCHED  TO  PROVIDE  INFORMATION  TO  SERVICEMEMBERS  AND  MILITARY  FAMILIES 


 Washington,  DC  –  The  FCC  has  launched  an  enhanced  version  of  its  “Calling  Home”  program,  originally  begun  last  May,  which  will  provide  to  members  of  the  armed  services  and  their  families, 
 valuable  information  on  telephone  services,  and  emphasize  the  Commission’s  role  as  the  military’s  federal  telecommunications  advocate. 


 In  May  2002,  the  Commission  launched  the  original  “Calling  Home”  campaign.  Because  of  the  dramatic  rise  in  the  number  of  U.  S.  military  personnel  posted  abroad  since  last  May,  the  Commission 
 recognized  a  need  for  expanding  and  reemphasizing  this  program  at  this  time. 
 The  new  campaign  has  includes  not  just  information  on  how  to  save  money  when  calling  home,  but  also  information  to  help  military  families  make  informed  choices  on  telecom  goods  and  services  and 
 let  them  know  the  services  available  through  the  FCC. 
 The  FCC  is  providing  packets  of  valuable  information  to  approximately  300  Relocation  Offices  or  Family  Services  Centers  throughout  the  United  States  and  about  70  U.  S.  military  bases  abroad.  Much 
 of  the  information  is  available  in  English  and  Spanish. 
 The  information  packet  contains  five  brochures:  “Calling  Home:  What  You  Should  Know  –  A  Guide  for  the  U.  S.  Military;”  “Get  Connected:  Afford-  A-  Phone,”  which  provides  information  on  phone 
 service  subsidies  available  to  low  income  families;  “About  the  FCC:  A  Consumer  Guide  to  Our  Organization,  Functions  and  Procedures;”  “International  Long  Distance  Calling;”  and,  “What  You  Should 
 Know  about  Wireless  Phone  Service.”  In  addition,  the  packets  contain  many  FCC  Consumer  Alerts,  warning  consumers  about  telephone  scams  and  frauds  of  which  they  should  be  aware,  and  many  FCC 
 Fact  Sheets  which  provide  valuable  information  on  important  issues  such  as  slamming,  cramming,  and  telemarketing  abuses. 


 K.  Dane  Snowden,  Chief  of  the  FCC’s  Consumer  &  Governmental  Affairs  Bureau,  said,  “At  this  time  we  are  thinking  about  our  military  service  personnel  deployed  abroad,  as  well  as  their  families  at 
 home.  By  distributing  this  information,  we  at  the  FCC  want  to  do  our  part  to  support  our  military  families  and  help  them  stay  in  touch  inexpensively,  take  advantage  of  low  income  assistance  programs,  avoid 
 scams,  and  know  that  we  are  a  resource  for  information.” 
 The  FCC  has  a  Web  site  that  focuses  solely  on  issues  of  interest  to  the  military,  www.  fcc.  gov/  cgb/  military. 


 -  FCC  – 
 Consumer  &  Governmental  Affairs  Bureau  contact:  Dan  Rumelt  at  (202)  418-  7512. 
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