4. OSW UH Wi-Fi 2 Jun 25.pdf

ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

3400 DEFENSE PENTAGON

WASHINGTON, DC 20301-3400

ENERGY, INSTALLATIONS,

AND ENVIRONMENT

MEMORANDUM FOR SECRETARY OF THE ARMY

SECRETARY OF THE NAVY

SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE

SUBJECT: Increasing Access to Broadband Internet in Department of Defense Unaccompanied

Housing in the United States

Section 651 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025, amended title 10, U.S.Code adding § 2265, Access to broadband internet access service for certain members of the armed forces. “The Secretary of a military department may provide, to a member of the armed forces who resides in military unaccompanied housing (as defined in section 2871 of this title) within the United States, broadband internet access service, at no cost to such member. The Secretary of Defense shall issue policy and guidance for implementation of § 2265.” Pursuant to section 2851a of title 10 U.S. Code, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations and Environment (ASD(EI&E)) serves as the Chief Housing Officer (CHO) and oversees all aspects of the provision of military unaccompanied housing (UH). This memorandum establishes policy and guidance to the Military Departments (MilDeps) to implement the section 2265, and supports ongoing pilot projects in UH.

Consistent with the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 2265, funds available to the Secretaries of the MilDeps for operation and maintenance may be used to provide free, broadband internet in UH in the U.S. The MilDeps will develop plans to offer and implement broadband internet access for Service members residing in UH within the U.S. and provide those plans back to the CHO no later than 30 days after signature of this memo. Quarterly updates will be provided thereafter until full implementation is achieved by each MilDep. The plans will include the following requirements, at a minimum:

a. The MilDeps should consider using existing infrastructure already in place in UH to the greatest extent practicable.

b. Per section 2265, broadband internet access shall “meet or exceed any speed benchmark established by the Federal Communications Commission” (FCC) under section 706 of the Telecommunications Act. As of March 2025, the current FCC minimum for fixed broadband at the time of this policy is 100 Megabytes per second (Mbps) download and 20 Mbps upload speeds (FCC-24-27A1). In the event that fixed broadband internet access service is not offered, or deemed too cost prohibitive to install (e.g., remote or some rural locations), fixed wireless access (e.g., 5G router or non-terrestrial network (NTN) router that offers Wi-Fi connectivity), or mobile broadband services (e.g., 5G hotspots) may be leveraged. While there is currently no FCC minimum benchmark for these wireless or mobile services, a cost-benefit analysis should be performed to provide the most affordable service available while

June 2, 2025 meeting the goals set forth in this memorandum.

c. A service login landing page (i.e., captive portal) will be presented to each user that clearly describes the terms and conditions of use prior to the user accessing the service.

d. Appropriate web content filters shall be applied and content will be filtered for inappropriate material in accordance with respective Component-level policy.

e. If Wi-Fi is offered by the broadband internet access service, any use of a DoD Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) enabled portable electronic device (PED) (e.g., DoD laptop, DoD mobile device) on the service must comply with Section 3.4 of DoD Instruction 8420.01. Personal devices are not subject to this requirement unless otherwise directed by OUSD(P&R) or a cognizant Component-level policy.

f. Service members may elect to opt out of the provided Broadband service and pay the full cost of internet service access of their choice.

g. MilDeps will continue free internet pilot programs during FY25, with the goal of full implementation at all UH in the U.S. beginning in FY26, pending availability of resources.

The Department is committed to enhancing Service member quality of life in alignment with the FY 2025 NDAA’s authority to provide broadband access in the U.S. Providing internet access will assist our personnel in thriving in the digital age, fostering personal and professional growth while strengthening the resilience of our force.

My point of contact is Ms. Laura J. Hemming, Senior Advisor OASD(EI&E), who may be reached at laura.j.hemming2.civ@mail.mil or 703-693-7665.

Robert E. Thompson Acting

THOMPSON.ROBE

RT.E.1044046578

Digitally signed by

THOMPSON.ROBERT.E.104404

Date: 2025.06.02 18:05:49 -04'00'