Pan-Pacific Education and Communications Experiments by Satellite (PEACESAT): Closing Date, 14777-14780 [E8-5604]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 54 / Wednesday, March 19, 2008 / Notices
National Marine Sanctuary and the
Monterey Bay National Marine
Sanctuary), the Elkhorn Slough National
Estuarine Research Reserve and the U.S.
Coast Guard sit as non-voting members.
Four working groups support the
Advisory Council: The Research
Activity Panel (‘‘RAP’’) chaired by the
Research Representative, the Sanctuary
Education Panel (‘‘SEP’’) chaired by the
Education Representative, the
Conservation Working Group (‘‘CWG’’)
chaired by the Conservation
Representative, and the Business and
Tourism Activity Panel (’’BTAP’’) cochaired by the Business/Industry and
Tourism Representatives, each dealing
with matters concerning research,
education, conservation and human use.
The working groups are composed of
experts from the appropriate fields of
interest and meet monthly, or bimonthly, serving as invaluable advisors
to the Advisory Council and the
Sanctuary Superintendent.
The Advisory Council represents the
coordination link between the
Sanctuary and the state and federal
management agencies, user groups,
researchers, educators, policy makers,
and other various groups that help to
focus efforts and attention on the central
California coastal and marine
ecosystems.
The Advisory Council functions in an
advisory capacity to the Sanctuary
Superintendent and is instrumental in
helping develop policies, program goals,
and identify education, outreach,
research, long-term monitoring, resource
protection, and revenue enhancement
priorities.
The Advisory Council works in
concert with the Sanctuary
Superintendent by keeping him or her
informed about issues of concern
throughout the Sanctuary, offering
recommendations on specific issues,
and aiding the Superintendent in
achieving the goals of the Sanctuary
program within the context of
California’s marine programs and
policies.
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Authority: 16 D.S.C. Sections 1431, et seq.
(Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog
Number 11.429 Marine Sanctuary Program)
Dated: March 11, 2008.
Daniel J. Basta,
Director, National Marine Sanctuary Program,
National Ocean Service, National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. E8–5436 Filed 3–18–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–NK–M
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Public Hearing on the Proposed St.
Louis River Site for a Lake Superior
National Estuarine Research Reserve
in Wisconsin
The Estuarine Reserves
Division, Office of Ocean and Coastal
Resource Management, National Ocean
Service, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, U.S.
Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Public Hearing Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that
the University of Wisconsin—Extension,
the WI Department of Administration’s
Coastal Management Program and the
WI Department of Natural Resources
with the support of the Estuarine
Reserves Division of the Office of Ocean
and Coastal Resource Management
(OCRM), National Ocean Service (NOS),
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), U.S.
Department of Commerce, will hold a
public hearing for the purpose of
receiving comments on the preliminary
recommendation that the St. Louis River
Estuary be proposed for designation as
a National Estuarine Research Reserve
in Wisconsin.
The state agencies will hold a public
hearing at 6 p.m. on April 3rd, 2008 at
the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical
College—Superior Conference Center,
600 North 21st Street, Superior, WI
78701.
The views of interested persons and
organizations on the proposed site
recommendation are solicited, and may
be expressed orally and/or in written
statements. An informational
presentation on the St. Louis River
Estuary and the National Estuarine
Research Reserve System (NERRS) is
scheduled for 7 p.m. All comments
received at the hearing will be
considered in a formal nomination by
the state to NOAA.
The NERRS is a federal-state
partnership that is administered by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). The system
protects more than 1.3 million acres of
estuarine habitat for long-term research,
monitoring, education and stewardship
throughout the coastal United States.
Established by the Coastal Zone
Management Act of 1972, as amended,
each reserve is managed by a lead state
agency or university, with input from
local partners. NOAA provides funding
and national programmatic guidance.
The NERR site selection effort is a
culmination of several years of local,
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grassroots support for a Wisconsin
NERR on Lake Superior. The
recommendation of the St. Louis site
follows a year-long process to gather
information about all of the freshwater
estuaries on Lake Superior’s south
shore. The site selection process
involved dozens of meetings with
scientists, agency land managers, public
officials and citizens.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Laurie McGilvray (301) 713–3155
extension 158, Estuarine Reserves
Division, Office of Ocean and Coastal
Resource Management, National Ocean
Service, NOAA, 1305 East West
Highway, N/ORM2, Silver Spring, MD
20910.
Dated: March 13, 2008.
David M. Kennedy,
Director, Office of Ocean and Coastal
Resource Management.
Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog Number
11.420 (Coastal Zone Management) Research
Reserves.
[FR Doc. E8–5457 Filed 3–18–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–08–M
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and
Information Administration
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 Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2008, Public Law
110–161, 121 Stat. 1844 (2007), the 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, April 18, 2008. Applications
submitted by facsimile are not
acceptable. NTIA will not accept
applications received after the deadline.
However, if an application is received
after the Closing Date due to (1) carrier
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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.
ADDRESSES: To obtain a printed
application package, submit completed
applications, or send any other
correspondence, write to: NTIA/PTFP,
Room H–4812, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC 20230.
Application materials may be obtained
electronically via the Internet at https://
www.grants.gov.
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) 2008 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 at https://
www.grants.gov.
Funding Availability
Funding for the PEACESAT Program
is provided pursuant to the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008,
Public Law 110–161, 121 Stat. 1844
(2007), 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 $16.8
million for FY 2008 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 2008. For FY 2007, NTIA issued one
award for the PEACESAT project in the
amount of $499,351.
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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
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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 not subject to 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 independent 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. No consensus advice
will be provided by the reviewers.
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
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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 Program’s 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
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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
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
Federal Communications Commission
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; or
(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
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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 January 10, 2008,
Notice regarding the PTFP Program, see
73 FR 1864 (2008).
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
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14779
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 at www.dnb.com/us/.
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 February 11, 2008 (73 FR 7696) 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 package requires the use of
the following forms: SF–424, SF–424A,
SF–424B, SF–LLL, CD–511. These forms
have been approved under OMB Control
Nos. 4040–0004, 4040–0006, 4040–007,
and 0348–0046.
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
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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. E8–5604 Filed 3–18–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–60–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
GENERAL SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND
SPACE ADMINISTRATION
[OMB Control No. 9000–0141]
Federal Acquisition Regulation;
Information Collection; Buy American
Act—Construction
Department of Defense (DOD),
General Services Administration (GSA),
and National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA).
ACTION: Notice of request for comments
regarding an extension to an existing
OMB clearance (9000–0141).
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AGENCIES:
SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Federal
Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
Secretariat will be submitting to the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) a request to review and approve
an extension of a currently approved
information collection requirement
concerning the Buy American Act—
Construction (Grimberg Decision). The
clearance currently expires on
September 30, 2008.
Public comments are particularly
invited on: Whether this collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of functions of the FAR,
and whether it will have practical
utility; whether our estimate of the
public burden of this collection of
information is accurate, and based on
valid assumptions and methodology;
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and ways in which we can
minimize the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to
respond, through the use of appropriate
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technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
DATES: Submit comments on or before
May 19, 2008.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
Meredith Murphy, Contract Policy
Division, GSA (202) 208–6925.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments regarding
this burden estimate or any other aspect
of this collection of information,
including suggestions for reducing this
burden to the General Services
Administration, FAR Secretariat (VPR),
1800 F Street, NW, Room 4035,
Washington, DC 20405.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Purpose
The clauses at FAR 52.225–9, Buy
American Act—Construction Materials,
and FAR 52.225–11, Buy American
Act—Construction Materials under
Trade Agreements, provide that
offerors/contractors requesting to use
foreign construction material, other than
construction material eligible under a
trade agreement, shall provide adequate
information for Government evaluation
of the request.
These regulations implement the Buy
American Act for construction (41
U.S.C. 10a–10d).
B. Annual Reporting Burden
Respondents: 500.
Responses Per Respondent: 2.
Annual Responses: 1,000.
Hours Per Response: 2.5.
Total Burden Hours: 2,500.
Obtaining Copies Of Proposals:
Requesters may obtain a copy of the
information collection documents from
the General Services Administration,
FAR Secretariat (VPR), Room 4035,
Washington, DC 20405, telephone (202)
501–4755. Please cite OMB Control No.
9000–0141, Buy American Act—
Construction (Grimberg Decision), in all
correspondence.
Dated: March 11, 2008.
Al Matera,
Director, Office of Acquisition Policy.
[FR Doc. E8–5478 Filed 3–18–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820–EP–S
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Notice of Proposed Information
Collection Requests
Department of Education.
The IC Clearance Official,
Regulatory Information Management
Services, Office of Management, invites
comments on the proposed information
collection requests as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY:
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Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before May 19,
2008.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section
3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires
that the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) provide interested
Federal agencies and the public an early
opportunity to comment on information
collection requests. OMB may amend or
waive the requirement for public
consultation to the extent that public
participation in the approval process
would defeat the purpose of the
information collection, violate State or
Federal law, or substantially interfere
with any agency’s ability to perform its
statutory obligations. The IC Clearance
Official, Regulatory Information
Management Services, Office of
Management, publishes that notice
containing proposed information
collection requests prior to submission
of these requests to OMB. Each
proposed information collection,
grouped by office, contains the
following: (1) Type of review requested,
e.g., new, revision, extension, existing
or reinstatement; (2) Title; (3) Summary
of the collection; (4) Description of the
need for, and proposed use of, the
information; (5) Respondents and
frequency of collection; and (6)
Reporting and/or Recordkeeping
burden. OMB invites public comment.
The Department of Education is
especially interested in public comment
addressing the following issues: (1) Is
this collection necessary to the proper
functions of the Department; (2) will
this information be processed and used
in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate
of burden accurate; (4) how might the
Department enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be
collected; and (5) how might the
Department minimize the burden of this
collection on the respondents, including
through the use of information
technology.
DATES:
Dated: March 13, 2008.
Angela C. Arrington,
IC Clearance Official, Regulatory Information
Management Services, Office of Management.
Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools
Type of Review: New.
Title: Partnerships in Character
Education Program Data Collection.
Frequency: Annually.
Affected Public: Individuals or
household; Businesses or other forprofit; State, Local, or Tribal Gov’t,
SEAs or LEAs.
Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour
Burden:
Responses: 450.
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[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 19, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14777-14780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-5604]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
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.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008, Public
Law 110-161, 121 Stat. 1844 (2007), the 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, April 18, 2008. Applications submitted by facsimile are
not acceptable. NTIA will not accept applications received after the
deadline. However, if an application is received after the Closing Date
due to (1) carrier
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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.
ADDRESSES: To obtain a printed application package, submit completed
applications, or send any other correspondence, write to: NTIA/PTFP,
Room H-4812, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC 20230. Application materials may be obtained
electronically via the Internet at https://www.grants.gov.
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) 2008 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
at https://www.grants.gov.
Funding Availability
Funding for the PEACESAT Program is provided pursuant to the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008, Public Law 110-161, 121 Stat.
1844 (2007), 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 $16.8 million for FY 2008 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 2008. For FY 2007, NTIA issued
one award for the PEACESAT project in the amount of $499,351.
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 not subject to 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 independent
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. No consensus
advice will be provided by the reviewers.
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 Program's 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
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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 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 Federal Communications Commission 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; or
(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 January 10, 2008, Notice regarding
the PTFP Program, see 73 FR 1864 (2008).
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 at www.dnb.com/us/.
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 February 11, 2008 (73 FR 7696) 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 package requires the use
of the following forms: SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, SF-LLL, CD-511. These
forms have been approved under OMB Control Nos. 4040-0004, 4040-0006,
4040-007, and 0348-0046.
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
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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. E8-5604 Filed 3-18-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P
