Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; State and Local Implementation Grant Program 2.0 Closeout Documentation
| Published date | 13 May 2019 |
| Record Number | 2019-09766 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | National Telecommunications And Information Administration |
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 92 (Monday, May 13, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 92 (Monday, May 13, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20862-20863]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-09766]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Information
Collection; Comment Request; State and Local Implementation Grant
Program 2.0 Closeout Documentation
AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration,
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 12, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, (202) 482-0336,
Department of Commerce, Room 6612, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20230 (or via email at [email protected]).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection instruments and instructions
should be sent to Natalie Romanoff, Program Director, State and Local
Implementation Grant Program 2.0, National Telecommunications and
Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401
Constitution Avenue NW, Room 4078, Washington, DC 20230 (or via email
at [email protected] or phone 202-482-2236).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Act)
(Pub. L. 112-96, H.R. 3630, 126 Stat. 156) was enacted February 22,
2012.\1\ The Act meets a long-standing national priority and critical
infrastructure need to create a single, interoperable, nationwide
public safety broadband network (NPSBN) that allows law enforcement
officers, fire fighters, emergency medical service professionals, and
other public safety officials to effectively communicate with each
other across
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agencies and jurisdictions. Public safety responders have been hindered
in their ability to respond in a crisis situation due to incompatible
communications networks and often outdated communications equipment.
Therefore, the design and deployment of this NPSBN, established by the
Act, is critical to provide emergency responders the ability to
communicate on a secure, reliable, and dedicated interoperable network
during emergencies and to use technology to improve response time, keep
communities safe, and save lives.
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\1\ Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, Public
Law 112-96, 126 Stat. 156 (2012) (Act) (codified at 47 U.S.C. 1401
et seq.).
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The Act established the First Responder Network Authority
(FirstNet) as an independent authority within the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and authorized
it to take all actions necessary to ensure the design, construction,
and operation of a nationwide NPSBN, based on a single, national
network architecture.\2\ FirstNet's responsibilities are, at a minimum,
to ensure nationwide standards for the use of and access to the
network; issue open, transparent, and competitive requests for
proposals (RFPs) to build, operate, and maintain the network; encourage
these RFPs to leverage, to the maximum extent economically desirable,
existing commercial wireless infrastructure to speed deployment of the
network; and oversee contracts with non-federal entities to build,
operate, and maintain the network.\3\
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\2\ 47 U.S.C. 1424, 1426(b)(1).
\3\ 47 U.S.C. 1426(b)(1)(A)-(D).
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The Act also charged NTIA with establishing a grant program, the
State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP), to assist State,
regional, tribal, and local jurisdictions with identifying, planning,
and implementing the most efficient and effective means to use and
integrate the infrastructure, equipment, and other architecture
associated with the NPSBN to satisfy the wireless broadband and data
services needs of their jurisdictions.\4\
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\4\ 47 U.S.C. 1442(a).
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The Act's framework outlined that FirstNet closely coordinates its
activities with State, regional, tribal, and local governments and
imposed a statutory requirement that FirstNet consult with these
entities as it takes all actions necessary to build, deploy, and
operate the NPSBN.\5\ Specifically, the Act requires FirstNet to
consult with state, regional, tribal, and local governments about the
distribution and expenditure of any amounts required to carry out its
responsibilities to plan, build, operate, and maintain the NPSBN.
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\5\ 47 U.S.C. 1422(b)(2)(B).
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Additionally, the Act specifies that these required consultations
occur between FirstNet and the single point of contact (SPOC) that the
state designated in its original SLIGP grant application.\6\ The
original SLIGP award provided recipients with funding to support their
engagement in consultations as required of FirstNet under the Act.
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\6\ 47 U.S.C. 1426(c)(2)(B); 47 U.S.C. 1442(d).
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SLIGP 2.0
In 2013, NTIA originally awarded $116.5 million in grant funds to
54 state and territorial recipients between July 2013 and June 2014.
The original grants expired February 28, 2018, and many recipients
spent less than expected, leaving leftover funds. NTIA leveraged excess
funds of $33.3 million from the original SLIGP grants to make a second
round of grant awards, SLIGP 2.0. The SLIGP 2.0 provides funding to
assist State, regional, tribal, and local jurisdictions to engage
effectively with FirstNet and provide it with information needed to
continue with planning the NPSBN in an effective and timely manner, as
required by the Act.
SLIGP 2.0 recipients' periods of performance are currently
scheduled to end in early 2020. Following the award end date,
recipients will be required to complete grant closeout activities
within 90 days. The purpose of closeout is to capture a final account
of recipient activities and how these activities contributed to overall
program goals. To ensure effective grant oversight and management, NTIA
developed a closeout report form for SLIGP 2.0 recipients to complete
as part of post-award monitoring and closeout activities at the end of
the period of performance. The closeout report form serves as a summary
of grant-funded recipient activities over the entire award period and
ensures that recipients comply with all necessary closeout procedures.
The closeout report form will ask recipients to aggregate their
cumulative progress toward program priority areas identified in their
quarterly performance progress reports (PPRs), including individuals
sent to broadband conferences, staff hired, contracts executed,
governance meetings held, and stakeholder events convened. Recipients
will also be asked to report on their cumulative expenditures
throughout the period of performance in each object class category,
including personnel, fringe, travel, equipment, materials/supplies,
contractual, other, and indirect costs.
NTIA will use the collection of information to monitor and evaluate
how SLIGP 2.0 grant recipients are achieving the core purposes of the
program established by the Act. The information collected in the
closeout report form will ensure that final data effectively assesses
the success of SLIGP 2.0 recipients in implementing their project
goals. The publication of this notice allows NTIA to begin the process
to obtain the approval for the standard three years.
II. Method of Collection
Recipients will complete the closeout report and submit the form to
the SLIGP 2.0 Program Office via email.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: None.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission.
Affected Public: State, regional, local, and tribal government
organizations.
Frequency: Once (at the end of the period of performance).
Number of Respondents: 46.
Average Time per Response: Final closeout report, 25 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,150 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $53.176.
IV. Request for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information;
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information
collection; they will also become a matter of public record.
Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer,
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2019-09766 Filed 5-10-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P
