Pan-Pacific Education and Communications Experiments by Satellite (PEACESAT): Closing Date, 7539-7541 [E6-2007]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 29 / Monday, February 13, 2006 / Notices
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to the Council office
(see ADDRESSES) by February 24, 2006.
Dated: February 8, 2006.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6–1968 Filed 2–10–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[Docket No. 060202024–6024–01; I.D.
012506C]
Whaling Provisions; Aboriginal
Subsistence Whaling Quotas
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: NMFS announces the
aboriginal subsistence whaling quota for
bowhead whales, and other limitations
deriving from regulations adopted at the
2002 Special Meeting of the
International Whaling Commission
(IWC). For 2006, the quota is 75
bowhead whales struck. This quota and
other limitations will govern the harvest
of bowhead whales by members of the
Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission
(AEWC).
DATES: Effective February 13, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Office of International
Affairs, National Marine Fisheries
Service, 1315 East West Highway, Silver
Spring, MD 20910.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Cheri McCarty, (301) 713–9090.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Aboriginal
subsistence whaling in the United States
is governed by the Whaling Convention
Act (16 U.S.C. 916 et seq.). Regulations
that implement the Act, found at 50 CFR
230.6, require the Secretary of
Commerce (Secretary) to publish, at
least annually, aboriginal subsistence
whaling quotas and any other
limitations on aboriginal subsistence
whaling deriving from regulations of the
IWC.
At the 2002 Special Meeting of the
IWC, the Commission set quotas for
aboriginal subsistence use of bowhead
whales from the Bering-ChukchiBeaufort Seas stock. The bowhead quota
was based on a joint request by the
United States and the Russian
Federation, accompanied by
documentation concerning the needs of
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:38 Feb 10, 2006
Jkt 208001
two Native groups: Alaska Eskimos and
Chukotka Natives in the Russian Far
East.
This action by the IWC thus
authorized aboriginal subsistence
whaling by the AEWC for bowhead
whales. This aboriginal subsistence
harvest is conducted in accordance with
a cooperative agreement between NOAA
and the AEWC.
The IWC set a 5-year block quota of
280 bowhead whales landed. For each
of the years 2003 through 2007, the
number of bowhead whales struck may
not exceed 67, except that any unused
portion of a strike quota from any year,
including 15 unused strikes from the
1998 through 2002 quota, may be
carried forward. No more than 15 strikes
may be added to the strike quota for any
one year. At the end of the 2005 harvest,
there were 15 unused strikes available
for carry-forward, so the combined
strike quota for 2006 is 82 (67 + 15).
This arrangement ensures that the
total quota of bowhead whales landed
and struck in 2006 will not exceed the
quotas set by the IWC. Under an
arrangement between the United States
and the Russian Federation, the Russian
natives may use no more than seven
strikes, and the Alaska Eskimos may use
no more than 75 strikes.
NOAA is assigning 75 strikes to the
Alaska Eskimos. The AEWC will
allocate these strikes among the 10
villages whose cultural and subsistence
needs have been documented in past
requests for bowhead quotas from the
IWC, and will ensure that its hunters
use no more than 75 strikes.
Other Limitations
The IWC regulations, as well as the
NOAA regulation at 50 CFR 230.4(c),
forbid the taking of calves or any whale
accompanied by a calf.
NOAA regulations (at 50 CFR 230.4)
contain a number of other prohibitions
relating to aboriginal subsistence
whaling, some of which are summarized
here. Only licensed whaling captains or
crew under the control of those captains
may engage in whaling. They must
follow the provisions of the relevant
cooperative agreement between NOAA
and a Native American whaling
organization. The aboriginal hunters
must have adequate crew, supplies, and
equipment. They may not receive
money for participating in the hunt. No
person may sell or offer for sale whale
products from whales taken in the hunt,
except for authentic articles of Native
handicrafts. Captains may not continue
to whale after the relevant quota is
taken, after the season has been closed,
or if their licenses have been suspended.
PO 00000
Frm 00037
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
7539
They may not engage in whaling in a
wasteful manner.
Dated: February 7, 2006.
William T. Hogarth,
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6–1973 Filed 2–10–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and
Information Administration
[Docket No. 001215353–6012–06]
Pan-Pacific Education and
Communications Experiments by
Satellite (PEACESAT): Closing Date
National Telecommunications
and Information Administration (NTIA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of funds.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Science, State,
Justice, Commerce, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006, the
National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA),
U.S. Department of Commerce,
announces the solicitation of
applications for a grant for the PanPacific Education and Communications
Experiments by Satellite (PEACESAT)
Program. Projects funded pursuant to
this Notice are intended to support the
PEACESAT Program’s acquisition of
satellite communications to service
Pacific Basin communities and to
manage the operations of this network.
Applications for the PEACESAT
Program grant will compete for funds
from the Public Broadcasting, Facilities,
Planning and Construction Funds
account.
DATES: Applications must be received
on or before 5 p.m. Eastern Standard
Time, March 15, 2006. Applications
submitted by facsimile or electronic
means are not acceptable. If an
application is received after the Closing
Date due to (1) carrier error, when the
carrier accepted the package with a
guarantee for delivery by the Closing
Date and Time, or (2) significant
weather delays or natural disasters,
NTIA will, upon receipt of proper
documentation, consider the application
as having been received by the deadline.
NTIA will not accept applications
posted on the Closing Date or later and
received after the deadline.
ADDRESSES: To obtain a printed
application package, submit completed
applications, or send any other
correspondence, write to: NTIA/PTFP,
Room H–4096, U.S. Department of
E:\FR\FM\13FEN1.SGM
13FEN1
7540
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 29 / Monday, February 13, 2006 / Notices
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC 20230.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
William Cooperman, Director, Public
Broadcasting Division, telephone: (202)
482–5802; fax: (202) 482–2156.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Access
The full funding opportunity
announcement for the PEACESAT
Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 grant cycle is
available through https://
www.Grants.gov or by contacting the
PTFP office at the address noted above.
Application materials may be obtained
electronically via the Internet (https://
www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/
peacesat.html).
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
Funding Availability
Funding for the PEACESAT Program
is provided pursuant to the Science,
State, Justice, Commerce, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006,
Public Law 109–108 and Public Law
106–113, ‘‘The Consolidated
Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 2000.’’
Public Law 106–113 provides ‘‘That,
hereafter, notwithstanding any other
provision of law, the Pan-Pacific
Education and Communications
Experiments by Satellite (PEACESAT)
Program is eligible to compete for Public
Broadcasting Facilities, Planning and
Construction funds.’’
The Congress has appropriated $20
million for FY 2006 Public
Telecommunications Facilities Program
(PTFP) and PEACESAT awards. Of this
amount, NTIA anticipates making a
single award for approximately
$500,000 for the PEACESAT Program in
FY 2006. For FY 2005, NTIA issued one
award for the PEACESAT project in the
amount of $499,415.
Statutory and Regulatory Authority
The PEACESAT Program was
authorized under Public Law 100–584
(102 Stat. 2970) and also Public Law
101–555 (104 Stat. 2758) to acquire
satellite communications services to
provide educational, medical, and
cultural needs of Pacific Basin
communities. The PEACESAT Program
has been operational since 1971 and has
received funding from NTIA for support
of the project since 1988.
Applications submitted in response to
this solicitation for PEACESAT
applications are exempt from the PTFP
regulations at 15 CFR part 2301.
Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance: N/A.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants will include any
for-profit or non-profit organization,
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:38 Feb 10, 2006
Jkt 208001
public or private entity, other than an
agency or division of the Federal
government. Individuals are not eligible
to apply for the PEACESAT Program
funds.
Evaluation and Selection Process
Each eligible application is evaluated
by three outside reviewers who have
demonstrated expertise in the
programmatic and technological aspects
of the application. The reviewers will
evaluate applications according to the
criteria in the following section and
provide individual written ratings of
each application.
State Single Point of Contact (SPOC)
offices, per Executive Order 12372, may
provide recommendations on
applications under consideration.
The Public Broadcasting Division
(PBD) administers the PEACESAT
Program and places a summary of
applications received on the Internet.
Listing an application merely
acknowledges receipt of an application
to compete for funding with other
applications. Listing does not preclude
subsequent return of the application or
disapproval of the application, nor does
it assure that the application will be
funded. The listing will also include a
request for comments on the
applications from any interested party.
The reviewer’s ratings are provided to
the PBD staff and a rank order is
prepared according to score. The PBD
program staff prepares summary
recommendations for the Director of the
Public Broadcasting Division. These
recommendations incorporate the
outside reviewers’ ratings and
incorporate analysis based on the degree
to which a proposed project meets the
PEACESAT Program purposes and cost
eligibility. Staff recommendations also
consider (1) project impact, (2) the cost/
benefit of a project, and (3) whether the
reviewers consistently applied the
evaluation criteria. The analysis by
program staff is provided to the Director
of the Public Broadcasting Division in
writing.
The Director considers the summary
recommendations prepared by program
staff in accord with the funding
priorities and selection factors
referenced in the next section and
recommends the funding order of the
applications for the PEACESAT
Programs in three categories:
‘‘Recommended for Funding,’’
‘‘Recommended for Funding If Funds
Are Available,’’ and ‘‘Not
Recommended for Funding.’’ The
Director presents recommendations to
the Associate Administrator, Office of
Telecommunications and Information
PO 00000
Frm 00038
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Applications (OTIA), for review and
approval.
Upon review and approval based on
the funding priorities and selection
factors referenced in the next section by
the Associate Administrator of the
Office of Telecommunications and
Information Applications (OTIA), the
Associate Administrator’s and the
Director’s recommendations are
presented to the Selecting Official, the
Assistant Secretary for Communications
and Information, who is the NTIA
Administrator. The NTIA Administrator
selects the applications to be negotiated
for possible grant award, taking into
consideration the outside reviewers’
ratings, the Director’s recommendations,
and the degree to which the slate of
applications, taken as a whole, satisfies
the PEACESAT Programs’ stated
purposes.
The selected applications are
negotiated between NTIA staff and the
applicant. The negotiations are intended
to resolve whatever differences might
exist between the applicant’s original
request and what NTIA is considering
funding. Negotiation does not ensure
that an award will be made. When the
negotiations are completed, the Director
recommends final selections to the
NTIA Administrator, applying the same
selection factors described above. The
Administrator then makes the final
award selections from the negotiated
applications taking into consideration
the Director’s recommendations and the
degree to which the slate of
applications, taken as a whole, satisfies
the stated purposes for the PEACESAT
Program.
Funding Priorities and Selection
Factors
The PBD Director will consider the
summary evaluations prepared by
program staff, rank the applications, and
present recommendations to the OTIA
Associate Administrator for review and
approval. The Director’s
recommendations and the OTIA
Associate Administrator’s review and
approval will take into account the
following selection factors:
(1) The program staff evaluations,
including the outside reviewers.
(2) Whether the applicant has any
current NTIA grants.
(3) The geographic distribution of the
proposed grant awards.
(4) The availability of funds.
Upon approval by the OTIA Associate
Administrator, the Director’s
recommendations will then be
presented to the Selecting Official, the
NTIA Administrator.
The Administrator makes final award
selections taking into consideration the
E:\FR\FM\13FEN1.SGM
13FEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 29 / Monday, February 13, 2006 / Notices
Director’s recommendations and the
degree to which the slate of
applications, taken as a whole, satisfies
the program’s stated purposes.
No grant will be awarded until
confirmation has been received from the
FCC that any necessary authorization
will be issued.
After final award selections have been
made, the Agency will notify the
applicant of one of the following
actions:
(1) Selection of the application for
funding, in whole or in part;
(2) Deferral of the application for
subsequent consideration;
(3) Rejection of the application with
an explanation and the reason, if an
applicant is not eligible or if the
proposed project does not fall within
the purposes of the PEACESAT
program.
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
Evaluation Criteria
Each eligible application that is
timely received, is materially complete,
and proposes an eligible project will be
considered under the evaluation criteria
described here. The first three criteria—
1. Meeting the Purposes of the
PEACESAT Program, 2. Extent of Need
for the Project, and 3. Plan of Operation
for the Project—are each worth 25
points. Criterion 4, Budget and Cost
Effectiveness, is worth 20 points.
Criterion 5, Quality of Key Personnel, is
worth 5 points.
Criterion 1. Meeting the Purposes of
the PEACESAT Program, including (i)
how well the proposal meets the
objectives of the PEACESAT Program
and (ii) how the objectives of the
proposal further the purposes of the
PEACESAT Program.
Criterion 2. Extent of Need for the
Project. The extent to which the project
meets the needs of the PEACESAT
Program, including consideration of: (i)
The needs addressed by the project; (ii)
how the applicant identifies those
needs; (iii) how those needs will be met
by the project; and (iv) the benefits to be
gained by meeting those needs.
Criterion 3. Plan of Operation for the
Project, including (i) the quality of the
design of the project; (ii) the extent to
which the plan of management is
effective and ensures proper and
efficient administration of the project;
(iii) how well the objectives of the
project relate to the purposes of the
PEACESAT Program; (iv) the quality of
the applicant’s plan to use its resources
and personnel to achieve each objective;
and (v) how the applicant will ensure
that project participants who are
otherwise eligible to participate are
selected without regard to race, color,
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:38 Feb 10, 2006
Jkt 208001
national origin, gender, age, or
handicapped condition.
Criterion 4. Budget and Cost
Effectiveness. The extent to which (i)
the budget is adequate to support the
project; and (ii) costs are reasonable in
relation to the objectives of the project.
Criterion 5. Quality of Key Personnel
the applicant plans to use on the
project, including (i) the qualifications
of the project director if one is to be
used; (ii) the qualifications of each of
the other key personnel to be used in
the project; (iii) the time that each
person will commit to the project; and
(iv) how the applicant, as part of its
nondiscriminatory employment
practices, will ensure that its personnel
are selected for employment without
regard to race, color, national origin,
gender, age, or handicapped condition.
In this section, ‘‘qualifications’’ refers to
experience and training in fields related
to the objectives of the project, and any
other qualifications that pertain to the
quality of the project.
Cost Sharing Requirements
Grant recipients under this program
will not be required to provide matching
funds toward the total project cost.
The costs allowable under this Notice
are not subject to the limitation on costs
contained in the December 13, 2005
Notice regarding the PTFP Program.
Intergovernmental Review
PEACESAT applications are subject to
Executive Order 12372,
‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs,’’ if the state in which the
applicant organization is located
participates in the process. Usually
submission to the State Single Point of
Contact (SPOC) needs to be only the
first two pages of the Application Form,
but applicants should contact their own
SPOC offices to find out about and
comply with its requirements. The
names and addresses of the SPOC
offices are listed on the PTFP web site
and at the Office of Management and
Budget’s home page at https://
www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/
spoc.html.
Universal Identifier
All applicants (nonprofit, state, local
government, universities, and tribal
organizations) will be required to
provide a Dun and Bradstreet Data
Universal Numbering System (DUNS)
number during the application process.
See the October 30, 2002 (67 FR 66177)
and April 8, 2003 (68 FR 17000 Federal
Register notices for additional
information. Organizations can receive a
DUNS number at no cost by calling the
dedicated toll-free DUNS Number
PO 00000
Frm 00039
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
7541
request line 1–866–705–5711 or via the
Internet (https://
www.dunandbradstreet.com).
The Department of Commerce PreAward Notification Requirements for
Grants and Cooperative Agreements
The Department of Commerce PreAward Notification of Requirements for
Grants and Cooperative Agreements
contained in the Federal Register notice
of December 30, 2004 (69 FR 78389) is
applicable to this solicitation.
Limitation of Liability
In no event will the Department of
Commerce be responsible for proposal
preparation costs if this program fails to
receive funding or is cancelled because
of other agency priorities. Publication of
this announcement does not oblige the
agency to award any specific project or
to obligate any available funds.
Paperwork Reduction Act
Notwithstanding any other provision
of the law, no person is required to
respond to, nor shall any person be
subject to a penalty for failure to comply
with, a collection of information subject
to the requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA), unless that
collection displays a currently valid
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) control number. The PEACESAT
application form has been approved
under OMB Control Nos. 0348–0040,
0348–0043, and 0348–0034.
Executive Order 13132
It has been determined that this notice
does not contain policies with
Federalism implications as that term is
defined in Executive Order 13132.
Administrative Procedure Act/
Regulatory Flexibility Act
Prior notice and opportunity for
public comment are not required by the
Administrative Procedure Act or any
other law for rules concerning grants,
benefits, and contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)).
Because notice and opportunity for
comment are not required pursuant to 5
U.S.C. 553 or any other law, the
analytical requirements of the
Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601
et seq.) are inapplicable. Therefore, a
regulatory flexibility analysis has not
been prepared.
Bernadette McGuire-Rivera,
Associate Administrator, Office of
Telecommunications and Information
Applications.
[FR Doc. E6–2007 Filed 2–10–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–60–P
E:\FR\FM\13FEN1.SGM
13FEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 29 (Monday, February 13, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7539-7541]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-2007]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
[Docket No. 001215353-6012-06]
Pan-Pacific Education and Communications Experiments by Satellite
(PEACESAT): Closing Date
AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of funds.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006, the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA), U.S. Department of Commerce,
announces the solicitation of applications for a grant for the Pan-
Pacific Education and Communications Experiments by Satellite
(PEACESAT) Program. Projects funded pursuant to this Notice are
intended to support the PEACESAT Program's acquisition of satellite
communications to service Pacific Basin communities and to manage the
operations of this network. Applications for the PEACESAT Program grant
will compete for funds from the Public Broadcasting, Facilities,
Planning and Construction Funds account.
DATES: Applications must be received on or before 5 p.m. Eastern
Standard Time, March 15, 2006. Applications submitted by facsimile or
electronic means are not acceptable. If an application is received
after the Closing Date due to (1) carrier error, when the carrier
accepted the package with a guarantee for delivery by the Closing Date
and Time, or (2) significant weather delays or natural disasters, NTIA
will, upon receipt of proper documentation, consider the application as
having been received by the deadline. NTIA will not accept applications
posted on the Closing Date or later and received after the deadline.
ADDRESSES: To obtain a printed application package, submit completed
applications, or send any other correspondence, write to: NTIA/PTFP,
Room H-4096, U.S. Department of
[[Page 7540]]
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Cooperman, Director, Public
Broadcasting Division, telephone: (202) 482-5802; fax: (202) 482-2156.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Access
The full funding opportunity announcement for the PEACESAT Fiscal
Year (FY) 2006 grant cycle is available through https://www.Grants.gov
or by contacting the PTFP office at the address noted above.
Application materials may be obtained electronically via the Internet
(https://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/peacesat.html).
Funding Availability
Funding for the PEACESAT Program is provided pursuant to the
Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies Appropriations
Act, 2006, Public Law 109-108 and Public Law 106-113, ``The
Consolidated Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 2000.'' Public Law 106-113
provides ``That, hereafter, notwithstanding any other provision of law,
the Pan-Pacific Education and Communications Experiments by Satellite
(PEACESAT) Program is eligible to compete for Public Broadcasting
Facilities, Planning and Construction funds.''
The Congress has appropriated $20 million for FY 2006 Public
Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) and PEACESAT awards. Of
this amount, NTIA anticipates making a single award for approximately
$500,000 for the PEACESAT Program in FY 2006. For FY 2005, NTIA issued
one award for the PEACESAT project in the amount of $499,415.
Statutory and Regulatory Authority
The PEACESAT Program was authorized under Public Law 100-584 (102
Stat. 2970) and also Public Law 101-555 (104 Stat. 2758) to acquire
satellite communications services to provide educational, medical, and
cultural needs of Pacific Basin communities. The PEACESAT Program has
been operational since 1971 and has received funding from NTIA for
support of the project since 1988.
Applications submitted in response to this solicitation for
PEACESAT applications are exempt from the PTFP regulations at 15 CFR
part 2301.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance: N/A.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants will include any for-profit or non-profit
organization, public or private entity, other than an agency or
division of the Federal government. Individuals are not eligible to
apply for the PEACESAT Program funds.
Evaluation and Selection Process
Each eligible application is evaluated by three outside reviewers
who have demonstrated expertise in the programmatic and technological
aspects of the application. The reviewers will evaluate applications
according to the criteria in the following section and provide
individual written ratings of each application.
State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) offices, per Executive Order
12372, may provide recommendations on applications under consideration.
The Public Broadcasting Division (PBD) administers the PEACESAT
Program and places a summary of applications received on the Internet.
Listing an application merely acknowledges receipt of an application to
compete for funding with other applications. Listing does not preclude
subsequent return of the application or disapproval of the application,
nor does it assure that the application will be funded. The listing
will also include a request for comments on the applications from any
interested party.
The reviewer's ratings are provided to the PBD staff and a rank
order is prepared according to score. The PBD program staff prepares
summary recommendations for the Director of the Public Broadcasting
Division. These recommendations incorporate the outside reviewers'
ratings and incorporate analysis based on the degree to which a
proposed project meets the PEACESAT Program purposes and cost
eligibility. Staff recommendations also consider (1) project impact,
(2) the cost/benefit of a project, and (3) whether the reviewers
consistently applied the evaluation criteria. The analysis by program
staff is provided to the Director of the Public Broadcasting Division
in writing.
The Director considers the summary recommendations prepared by
program staff in accord with the funding priorities and selection
factors referenced in the next section and recommends the funding order
of the applications for the PEACESAT Programs in three categories:
``Recommended for Funding,'' ``Recommended for Funding If Funds Are
Available,'' and ``Not Recommended for Funding.'' The Director presents
recommendations to the Associate Administrator, Office of
Telecommunications and Information Applications (OTIA), for review and
approval.
Upon review and approval based on the funding priorities and
selection factors referenced in the next section by the Associate
Administrator of the Office of Telecommunications and Information
Applications (OTIA), the Associate Administrator's and the Director's
recommendations are presented to the Selecting Official, the Assistant
Secretary for Communications and Information, who is the NTIA
Administrator. The NTIA Administrator selects the applications to be
negotiated for possible grant award, taking into consideration the
outside reviewers' ratings, the Director's recommendations, and the
degree to which the slate of applications, taken as a whole, satisfies
the PEACESAT Programs' stated purposes.
The selected applications are negotiated between NTIA staff and the
applicant. The negotiations are intended to resolve whatever
differences might exist between the applicant's original request and
what NTIA is considering funding. Negotiation does not ensure that an
award will be made. When the negotiations are completed, the Director
recommends final selections to the NTIA Administrator, applying the
same selection factors described above. The Administrator then makes
the final award selections from the negotiated applications taking into
consideration the Director's recommendations and the degree to which
the slate of applications, taken as a whole, satisfies the stated
purposes for the PEACESAT Program.
Funding Priorities and Selection Factors
The PBD Director will consider the summary evaluations prepared by
program staff, rank the applications, and present recommendations to
the OTIA Associate Administrator for review and approval. The
Director's recommendations and the OTIA Associate Administrator's
review and approval will take into account the following selection
factors:
(1) The program staff evaluations, including the outside reviewers.
(2) Whether the applicant has any current NTIA grants.
(3) The geographic distribution of the proposed grant awards.
(4) The availability of funds.
Upon approval by the OTIA Associate Administrator, the Director's
recommendations will then be presented to the Selecting Official, the
NTIA Administrator.
The Administrator makes final award selections taking into
consideration the
[[Page 7541]]
Director's recommendations and the degree to which the slate of
applications, taken as a whole, satisfies the program's stated
purposes.
No grant will be awarded until confirmation has been received from
the FCC that any necessary authorization will be issued.
After final award selections have been made, the Agency will notify
the applicant of one of the following actions:
(1) Selection of the application for funding, in whole or in part;
(2) Deferral of the application for subsequent consideration;
(3) Rejection of the application with an explanation and the
reason, if an applicant is not eligible or if the proposed project does
not fall within the purposes of the PEACESAT program.
Evaluation Criteria
Each eligible application that is timely received, is materially
complete, and proposes an eligible project will be considered under the
evaluation criteria described here. The first three criteria--1.
Meeting the Purposes of the PEACESAT Program, 2. Extent of Need for the
Project, and 3. Plan of Operation for the Project--are each worth 25
points. Criterion 4, Budget and Cost Effectiveness, is worth 20 points.
Criterion 5, Quality of Key Personnel, is worth 5 points.
Criterion 1. Meeting the Purposes of the PEACESAT Program,
including (i) how well the proposal meets the objectives of the
PEACESAT Program and (ii) how the objectives of the proposal further
the purposes of the PEACESAT Program.
Criterion 2. Extent of Need for the Project. The extent to which
the project meets the needs of the PEACESAT Program, including
consideration of: (i) The needs addressed by the project; (ii) how the
applicant identifies those needs; (iii) how those needs will be met by
the project; and (iv) the benefits to be gained by meeting those needs.
Criterion 3. Plan of Operation for the Project, including (i) the
quality of the design of the project; (ii) the extent to which the plan
of management is effective and ensures proper and efficient
administration of the project; (iii) how well the objectives of the
project relate to the purposes of the PEACESAT Program; (iv) the
quality of the applicant's plan to use its resources and personnel to
achieve each objective; and (v) how the applicant will ensure that
project participants who are otherwise eligible to participate are
selected without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age,
or handicapped condition.
Criterion 4. Budget and Cost Effectiveness. The extent to which (i)
the budget is adequate to support the project; and (ii) costs are
reasonable in relation to the objectives of the project.
Criterion 5. Quality of Key Personnel the applicant plans to use on
the project, including (i) the qualifications of the project director
if one is to be used; (ii) the qualifications of each of the other key
personnel to be used in the project; (iii) the time that each person
will commit to the project; and (iv) how the applicant, as part of its
nondiscriminatory employment practices, will ensure that its personnel
are selected for employment without regard to race, color, national
origin, gender, age, or handicapped condition. In this section,
``qualifications'' refers to experience and training in fields related
to the objectives of the project, and any other qualifications that
pertain to the quality of the project.
Cost Sharing Requirements
Grant recipients under this program will not be required to provide
matching funds toward the total project cost.
The costs allowable under this Notice are not subject to the
limitation on costs contained in the December 13, 2005 Notice regarding
the PTFP Program.
Intergovernmental Review
PEACESAT applications are subject to Executive Order 12372,
``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs,'' if the state in which
the applicant organization is located participates in the process.
Usually submission to the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) needs to
be only the first two pages of the Application Form, but applicants
should contact their own SPOC offices to find out about and comply with
its requirements. The names and addresses of the SPOC offices are
listed on the PTFP web site and at the Office of Management and
Budget's home page at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
Universal Identifier
All applicants (nonprofit, state, local government, universities,
and tribal organizations) will be required to provide a Dun and
Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number during the
application process. See the October 30, 2002 (67 FR 66177) and April
8, 2003 (68 FR 17000 Federal Register notices for additional
information. Organizations can receive a DUNS number at no cost by
calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS Number request line 1-866-705-5711
or via the Internet (https://www.dunandbradstreet.com).
The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for
Grants and Cooperative Agreements
The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification of Requirements
for Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register
notice of December 30, 2004 (69 FR 78389) is applicable to this
solicitation.
Limitation of Liability
In no event will the Department of Commerce be responsible for
proposal preparation costs if this program fails to receive funding or
is cancelled because of other agency priorities. Publication of this
announcement does not oblige the agency to award any specific project
or to obligate any available funds.
Paperwork Reduction Act
Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is
required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty
for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), unless that
collection displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) control number. The PEACESAT application form has been approved
under OMB Control Nos. 0348-0040, 0348-0043, and 0348-0034.
Executive Order 13132
It has been determined that this notice does not contain policies
with Federalism implications as that term is defined in Executive Order
13132.
Administrative Procedure Act/ Regulatory Flexibility Act
Prior notice and opportunity for public comment are not required by
the Administrative Procedure Act or any other law for rules concerning
grants, benefits, and contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)). Because notice and
opportunity for comment are not required pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 or
any other law, the analytical requirements of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are inapplicable. Therefore, a
regulatory flexibility analysis has not been prepared.
Bernadette McGuire-Rivera,
Associate Administrator, Office of Telecommunications and Information
Applications.
[FR Doc. E6-2007 Filed 2-10-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P
