Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Connecting Minorities Communities Pilot Program
| Published date | 16 February 2022 |
| Citation | 87 FR 8802 |
| Record Number | 2022-03367 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | National Telecommunications And Information Administration |
Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 32 (Wednesday, February 16, 2022)
[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 16, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8802-8803]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03367]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Connecting Minorities Communities Pilot Program
AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, following the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the public and other Federal agencies to
comment on proposed and continuing information collections, which helps
us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and
minimize the public's reporting burden. This Notice of Information
Collection is for the Connecting Minorities Communities Pilot Program
Baseline Report, Performance Report and Annual Report. The purpose of
this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding the
submission of the collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received on or before April 18, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by
mail to Jennifer Duane, Director, Grants Management, Administration,
and Compliance, Office of internet Connectivity and Growth, National
Telecommunication and Information Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 4887, Washington, DC 20230,
or by email to [email protected]. Please reference CMC Data
Collection in the subject line of your comments. Do not submit
Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected
information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
Jennifer Duane, Director, Grants Management, Administration, and
Compliance, via email at [email protected]; [email protected]; or via
telephone at (202) 482-2048.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program (CMC), authorized
by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Division N, Title IX,
Section 902 (c), Public Law 116-260, 134 stat. 1182 Dec. 27, 2020)
(Act), aims to address the lack of broadband access, connectivity,
adoption, and equity to Historically Black Colleges and Universities
(HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Minority Serving
Institutions (MSIs), and their surrounding anchor communities. NTIA
will make up to 268,000,000 available for federal assistance to
eligible entities and programs to facilitate educational instruction
and learning, purchase or lease eligible equipment and devices for
student or patron use and hire and train information technology
personnel who are a part of the eligible anchor institution, MBE, or
tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.
On August 3, 2021, NTIA published the program's Notice of Funding
Opportunity (NOFO) on Grants.gov to describe the requirements under
which it will award grants for the CMC.\1\ The NOFO required award
recipients to submit financial reports, performance (technical)
reports, and annual reports to the NTIA Federal Program Officer and the
NOAA Grants Officer and Grants Specialist. Award recipients must follow
the reporting requirements described in Sections A.01, Reporting
Requirement, of the Department of Commerce Financial Assistance
Standard Terms and Conditions (dated November 12, 2020). Additionally,
in accordance with 2 CFR part 170, all recipients of a federal wared
were made on or after October 1, 2010, must comply with reporting
requirements under the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency
Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109-282).
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\1\ See Connecting Minority Communities (CMC) Notice of Funding
Opportunity (NOFO) (August 3, 2021), https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html (available under the ``Related Documents''
tab).
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NTIA will use the information collected from each award recipient
to effectively administer and monitor the grant program to ensure the
achievement of CMC program purposes and account for the expenditure of
federal funds to deter waste, fraud, and abuse.
II. Method of Collection
Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program
Award recipients will submit financial and performance reports on a
semi-annual basis for the periods ending March 31st and September 30th
of each year, and an annual report no later than one year after
receiving grant funds and until they have expended all funds. The
Baseline Report is a one-time collection of information from award
recipients covering project plans and details about key outputs and
outcomes that is due within 45 days of the issuance of the award. NTIA
will collect data through electronic submission.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 06XX-XXXX.
Form Number(s): TBD.
Type of Review: New information collection.
Affected Public: Grant award recipients consisting of Historically
Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs); Tribal Colleges or Universities
(TCUs); Minority-serving institutions (MSIs); or consortiums that are
led by a historically Black college or university, Tribal College or
University, or Minority-serving institution and that also include: (a)
An MBE; or (b) an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 501(a)
of such Code).
Estimated Number of Respondents: 183.
Estimated Time Per Response: 33.22.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 17,055.7.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $447,712.13.
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Division N,
Title IX, Section 905, Public Law 116-260, 134 Stat. 1182 (Dec. 27,
2020).
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau
to:
(a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether
the information will have practical utility.
(b) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the time and cost
burden for this proposed collection, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used.
(c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected.
[[Page 8803]]
(d) Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to respond,
including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available
at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2022-03367 Filed 2-15-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P
