S.Amdt. 6351

This amendment, submitted by Mr. Fetterman, aims to add a new section (SEC. 320C) to bill S. 4784. Its purpose is to establish a pilot program to provide integrated connectivity service to specific people at certain military sites.

The amendment seeks to change the bill by adding the following:

• Program Goal: The Secretary of Defense will provide integrated connectivity service at no cost to a covered population at five military installations located in the Middle East.
• Service Standards: The service must provide broadband internet with minimum speeds of 100-Mbps for downloads and 20-Mbps for uploads. It may also include P5G data services.
• Contracting Requirements: The program must use an American contracted entity as the telecommunications operator. This entity must be organized in the U.S., majority-owned and controlled by U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents (or publicly traded on a U.S. exchange), and prioritize U.S. manufactured products and components.
• Security and Infrastructure: The system must follow specific National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards and cannot use "pure public cloud only" network management systems due to security risks.
• Financials and Reporting: The amendment authorizes $15,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2027 through 2032. The Assistant Secretary must report to Congress every year (starting five years after enactment) regarding costs and potential additional installations outside the contiguous United States.