Comment Sought on Funding Pilot Program Participants Transitioning Out of the Rural Health Care Pilot Program in Funding Year 2012, 14364-14366 [2012-5687]

Download as PDF srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 14364 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 47 / Friday, March 9, 2012 / Notices Proposed Use: Plant-Incorporated Protectant in Corn for Research, Breeding, and Seed Increase Uses. Contact: Mike Mendelsohn, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division, (703) 308–8715, mendelsohn.mike@epa.gov. 6. File Symbol: 67979–EG. Docket Number: EPA–HQ–OPP–2012–0108. Applicant: Syngenta Seeds, Inc., P.O. Box 12257, 3054 E. Cornwallis Rd., Research Park, N.C. 27709. Product Name: Bt11 x MIR162 x MIR604 x TC1507 x 5307 Corn. Active ingredient: Plant-Incorporated Protectant with Bacillus thuringiensis eCry3.1Ab protein and the genetic material necessary for its production (via elements of vector pSYN12274) in 5307 Corn (SYN-;53;7–1) at 0.00261%. Proposed Use: Plant-incorporated protectant in corn for commercial use. Contact: Mike Mendelsohn, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division, (703) 308–8715, mendelsohn.mike@epa.gov. 7. File Symbol: 67979–EU. Docket Number: EPA–HQ–OPP–2012–0108. Applicant: Syngenta Seeds, Inc., P.O. Box 12257, 3054 E. Cornwallis Rd., Research Park, N.C. 27709. Product Name: Bt11 x MIR604 x TC1507 x 5307 Corn. Active ingredient: Plantincorporated protectant with Bacillus thuringiensis eCry3.1Ab protein and the genetic material necessary for its production (via elements of vector pSYN12274) in 5307 Corn (SYN;53;7–1) at 0.00335%. Proposed Use: Plant-Incorporated Protectant in Corn for Commercial Use. Contact: Mike Mendelsohn, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division, (703) 308–8715, mendelsohn.mike@epa.gov. 8. File Symbol: 69553–R. Docket Number: EPA–HQ–OPP–2011–0984. Applicant: Fred Smith, SciReg, Inc., 12733 Director’s Loop, Woodbridge, VA 22192, Authorized Representative for Andermatt Biocontrol AG, Stahlermatten 6, CH–6146 Grossdietwil, Switzerland. Product Name: Madex Twin. Active ingredient: Cydia pomonella granulovirus Isolate V22. Proposed Use(s): Agricultural crop use and residential use. Contact: Ann Sibold, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division, (703) 305–6502, sibold.ann@epa.gov. 9. File Symbol: 84059–RE. Docket Number: EPA–HQ–OPP–2010–0079. Applicant: Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc., 2121 Second Street, Suite B–107, Davis, CA 95618. Product Name: MBI– 005 EP. Active ingredient: Killed, nonviable Streptomyces acidiscabies strain RL–110T. Proposed Use(s): Agricultural crop, residential home and garden, and turf and landscape uses. Contact: Ann VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:21 Mar 08, 2012 Jkt 226001 Sibold, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division, (703) 305–6502, sibold.ann@epa.gov. List of Subjects Environmental protection, Pesticides and pest. Dated: February 28, 2012. Lois Rossi, Director, Registration Division, Office of Pesticide Programs. [FR Doc. 2012–5644 Filed 3–8–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION [WC Docket No 02–60; DA 12–273] Comment Sought on Funding Pilot Program Participants Transitioning Out of the Rural Health Care Pilot Program in Funding Year 2012 Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Notice; solicitation of comments. AGENCY: In this document, the Wireline Competition Bureau seeks comment on whether to fund Rural Health Care Pilot Program (Pilot Program) participants who will exhaust funding allocated to them before or during funding year 2012 (July 1, 2012– June 30, 2013). This funding would maintain support for qualifying Pilot Program participants, on an interim basis, during the 2012 funding year to provide time to establish a process to transition them into the permanent Rural Health Care support mechanism (RHC support mechanism). DATES: Comments are due on or before April 18, 2012. Reply comments are due on or before May 3, 2012. ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file comments on or before April 18, 2012. All pleadings are to reference WC Docket No. 02–60. Comments may be filed using the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), or by filing paper copies, by any of the following methods: • Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: https:// fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/. • Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and four copies of each filing. If more than one docket or rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, filers must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or rulemaking number. SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 • People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an email to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418–0530 (voice), (202) 418–0432 (tty). For detailed instructions for submitting comments and additional information on the rulemaking process, see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christianna Lewis Barnhart, Wireline Competition Bureau at Christianna.Barnhart@fcc.gov or (202) 418–7400 or TTY (202) 418–0484. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a synopsis of the Commission’s Public Notice in WC Docket No. 02–60; DA 12– 273, released February 27, 2012. The complete text of this document is available for inspection and copying during normal business hours in the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street SW., Room CY–A257, Washington, DC 20554. The document may also be purchased from the Commission’s duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc., 445 12th Street SW., Room CY–B402, Washington, DC 20554, telephone (800) 378–3160 or (202) 863–2893, facsimile (202) 863–2898, or via the Internet at https://www.bcpiweb.com. 1. The Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) seeks comment on whether to fund Rural Health Care Pilot Program (Pilot Program) participants who will exhaust funding allocated to them before or during funding year 2012 (July 1, 2012–June 30, 2013). This funding would maintain support for qualifying Pilot Program participants, on an interim basis, during the 2012 funding year to provide time to establish a process to transition them into the permanent Rural Health Care support mechanism (RHC support mechanism). To support these transitioning Pilot Program participants, the funds that were previously designated for projects that withdrew from the Program or otherwise failed to meet the June 30, 2011, deadline could be used without increasing overall demand. I. Background 2. The rural health care telecommunications program ensures that rural health care providers pay no more than their urban counterparts for their telecommunications needs in the provision of health care services. The rural health care Internet access program provides a 25 percent discount off the cost of monthly Internet access E:\FR\FM\09MRN1.SGM 09MRN1 srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 47 / Friday, March 9, 2012 / Notices for eligible rural health care providers. Together the telecommunications and Internet access programs are commonly referred to as the ‘‘Primary Program.’’ 3. In 2006, the Commission created a three-year Pilot Program to examine ways to use the RHC support mechanism to enhance public and nonprofit health care providers’ access to advanced telecommunications and information services. Participants in the Pilot Program are eligible to receive universal service funding to support up to 85 percent of the eligible costs of broadband infrastructure deployment of telehealth networks that connect to rural and urban health care providers in a State or region. Although the FCC originally selected 69 different projects to participate in the Pilot Program, only 50 projects are currently in existence today. Several projects merged and twelve projects either withdrew from the program or otherwise failed to meet the June 30, 2011 funding commitment deadline and were no longer eligible to participate in the Pilot Program. Funding that was designated to support these twelve projects totaled approximately $30 million. 4. Approximately 484 individual health care providers (HCPs) participating in the Pilot Program are scheduled to transition out of the program during the 2012 funding year because their respective Pilot projects will have reached their funding cap under the 2007 Pilot Program Selection Order, 73 FR 8670, February 14, 2008, and the HCPs will have exhausted the amounts of Pilot Program support allocated to them under the relevant funding commitment letters issued by USAC. These providers are members of networks, as was required by the Pilot Program, and they applied for Pilot funding as consortia (as explicitly permitted under section 254(h)(7)(B) of the Act). The rural HCPs that have exhausted their Pilot funding could seek support from the Primary Program in the 2012 funding year (July 1, 2012– June 30, 2013). Significant differences between Pilot and Primary Program rules regarding eligibility and funding may make it difficult, however, for Pilot Program participants to apply for funding in the Primary Program. One Pilot project (and its service provider) has already raised questions about transitioning to the funding mechanisms in the Primary Program. 5. In July 2010, the Commission sought comment on a number of issues, including how to transition Pilot Program participants to the ongoing rural health care support mechanism. We now seek more focused comment on supporting select Pilot Program VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:21 Mar 08, 2012 Jkt 226001 participants at their current funding levels to ‘‘bridge’’ the disparity in funding and application requirements between the Pilot Program and Primary Programs for the 2012–2013 funding year. The Commission recognized in the 2006 Pilot Program Order, 71 FR 65517, November 8, 2006, that circumstances may necessitate additional funding for Pilot Program participants. Accordingly, this ‘‘bridge’’ funding could provide additional time to consider how best to transition Pilot Program participants, while preserving the connectivity that has been developed under the Pilot. To support these transitioning Pilot Program participants, the funds that were previously designated for projects that withdrew from the Program or otherwise failed to meet the June 30, 2011, deadline could be used without increasing overall demand. 6. Exhaustion of Pilot Program Funds. We seek comment on providing funds only to those participants that will have exhausted all Pilot Program funding allocated to them before or during funding year 2012 (July 1, 2012–June 30, 2013), as described above. USAC estimates that approximately 14 out of the existing 50 projects will have some individual health care providers that will have spent all of the money in their initial award. We seek comment on this proposal and how providing such funding for an additional year would impact the sustainability of the networks developed with Pilot Program funds. 7. Support levels for 2012–2013 funding year. We also seek comment on whether to maintain the existing level of support that these Pilot Program participants receive annually for their recurring costs. For instance, USAC could determine each participant’s allocation for funding year 2012 by calculating the yearly average amount of support for recurring costs that participants have received over the life of their Pilot projects and fund them at that amount. Using this methodology, USAC estimates that it would cost approximately $10 million to fund transitioning health care providers in funding year 2012. We seek comment on this proposal to maintain the current level of support for eligible Pilot Program participants’ recurring costs. Alternatively, those recipients could receive a lower discount than the current 85 percent. Commenters who suggest alternative funding support levels should offer explanation why the funding level should be different than what is currently provided in the Pilot Program. 8. Duration. Pilot Program participants who meet eligibility PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 14365 requirements to receive transitional funding would only be eligible to receive funds for the 2012 funding year (July 1, 2012–June 30, 2013). We seek comment on this proposal. Commenters who suggest that Pilot Program participants should be eligible for funding for a different period of time should provide reasoning for their proposal. 9. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This document does not contain new or modified information collection(s) subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Public Law 104–13. In addition, therefore, it does not contain any new or modified information burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees, pursuant to the Small Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, Public Law 107–198, see 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(4). 10. Pursuant to §§ 1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission’s rules, 47 CFR 1.415, 1.419, interested parties may file comments on or before the dates indicated on the first page of this document. All pleadings are to reference WC Docket No. 02–60. Comments may be filed using: (1) The Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), or (2) by filing paper copies. All filings must be addressed to the Commission’s Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission. 11. Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: https:// apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/. Filers should follow the instructions provided on the Web site for submitting comments. 12. Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and one copy of each filing. If more than one docket or rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, filers must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or rulemaking number. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings must be addressed to the Commission’s Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission. • All hand-delivered or messengerdelivered paper filings for the Commission’s Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 445 12th St. SW., Room TW–A325, Washington, DC 20554. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes must be disposed of before entering the building. The filing hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. E:\FR\FM\09MRN1.SGM 09MRN1 srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 14366 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 47 / Friday, March 9, 2012 / Notices • Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. • U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority mail must be addressed to 445 12th Street SW., Washington DC 20554. 13. Additional copies. One copy of each filing must be sent to each of the following: • The Commission’s duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc., 445 12th Street SW., Room CY–B402, Washington, DC 20554, www.bcpiweb.com; phone: (202) 488– 5300 fax: (202) 488–5563; • Christianna Lewis Barnhart, Telecommunications Access Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, 445 12th Street SW., Room 5–B552, Washington, DC 20554; email: Christianna.Barnhart@fcc.gov and • Charles Tyler, Telecommunications Access Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, 445 12th Street SW., Room 5–B521, Washington, DC 20554; email: Charles.Tyler@fcc.gov. 14. People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an email to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418–0530 (voice), (202) 418–0432 15. Filings and comments are also available for public inspection and copying during regular business hours at the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street SW., Room CY–A257, Washington, DC 20554. They may also be purchased from the Commission’s duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc., Portals II, 445 12th Street SW., Room CY–B402, Washington, DC 20554, telephone: (202) 488–5300, fax: (202) 488–5563, or via email www.bcpiweb.com. 16. This matter shall be treated as a ‘‘permit-but-disclose’’ proceeding in accordance with the Commission’s ex parte rules. Persons making oral ex parte presentations are reminded that memoranda summarizing the presentations must contain summaries of the substance of the presentation and not merely a listing of the subjects discussed. More than a one or two sentence description of the views and arguments presented generally is required. Other rules pertaining to oral and written ex parte presentations in permit-but-disclose proceedings are set forth in § 1.1206(b) of the Commission’s rules. VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:21 Mar 08, 2012 Jkt 226001 Federal Communications Commission. Trent Harkrader, Division Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau. [FR Doc. 2012–5687 Filed 3–8–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6712–01–P FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY [No. 2012–N–02] Notice of Annual Adjustment of the Cap on Average Total Assets That Defines Community Financial Institutions Federal Housing Finance Agency. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has adjusted the cap on average total assets that defines a ‘‘Community Financial Institution’’ based on the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (CPI–U) as published by the Department of Labor (DOL). These changes took effect on January 1, 2012. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia L. Sweeney, Division of Federal Home Loan Bank Regulation, 202–649– 3311, Pat.Sweeney@fhfa.gov, or Eric M. Raudenbush, Assistant General Counsel, 202–649–6421, Eric.Raudenbush@fhfa.gov, Federal Housing Finance Agency, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20024. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SUMMARY: I. Statutory and Regulatory Background The Federal Home Loan Bank Act (Bank Act) confers upon insured depository institutions that meet the statutory definition of a ‘‘Community Financial Institution’’ (CFI) certain advantages over non-CFI insured depository institutions in qualifying for Federal Home Loan Bank (Bank) membership, and in the purposes for which they may receive long-term advances and the collateral they may pledge to secure advances.1 Section 2(10)(A) of the Bank Act and § 1263.1 of FHFA’s regulations define a CFI as any Bank member the deposits of which are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and that has average total assets below a statutory cap.2 The Bank Act was amended in 2008 to set the statutory cap at $1 billion and to require the Director of FHFA to adjust the cap annually to reflect the percentage increase in the 1 See 2 See PO 00000 12 U.S.C. 1424(a), 1430(a). 12 U.S.C. 1422(10)(A); 12 CFR 1263.1. Frm 00028 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 9990 CPI–U, as published by the DOL, for the prior year.3 For 2011, FHFA set the CFI asset cap at $1,041,000,000, which reflected a 1.1 percent increase over 2010, based upon the increase in the CPI–U between 2009 and 2010. Due to a transcription error, the agency’s Federal Register notice announcing the CFI asset cap adjustment for 2011 mistakenly stated that the cap had been set at $1,040,000,000. See 76 FR 3142 (Jan. 19, 2011). II. The CFI Asset Cap for 2012 As of January 1, 2012, FHFA has increased the CFI asset cap from $1,041,000,000 (the correct number for 2011) to $1,076,000,000 which reflects a 3.4 percent increase in the unadjusted CPI–U from November 2010 to November 2011. The new amount was obtained by rounding to the nearest million, as has been the practice for all prior adjustments. Consistent with the practice of other federal agencies, FHFA bases the annual adjustment to the CFI asset cap on the percentage increase in the CPI–U from November of the year prior to the preceding calendar year to November of the preceding calendar year, because the November figures represent the most recent available data as of January 1st of the current calendar year. In calculating the CFI asset cap, FHFA uses CPI–U data that have not been seasonally adjusted (i.e., the data have not been adjusted to remove the estimated effect of price changes that normally occur at the same time and in about the same magnitude every year). The DOL encourages use of unadjusted CPI–U data in applying ‘‘escalation’’ provisions such as that governing the CFI asset cap, because the factors that are used to seasonally adjust the data are amended annually, and seasonally adjusted data that are published earlier are subject to revision for up to five years following their original release. Unadjusted data are not routinely subject to revision, and previously published unadjusted data are only corrected when significant calculation errors are discovered. Dated: March 5, 2012. Edward J. DeMarco, Acting Director, Federal Housing Finance Agency. [FR Doc. 2012–5805 Filed 3–8–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8070–01–P 3 See 12 U.S.C. 1422(10); 12 CFR 1263.1 (defining the term CFI asset cap). E:\FR\FM\09MRN1.SGM 09MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 47 (Friday, March 9, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14364-14366]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-5687]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[WC Docket No 02-60; DA 12-273]


Comment Sought on Funding Pilot Program Participants 
Transitioning Out of the Rural Health Care Pilot Program in Funding 
Year 2012

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice; solicitation of comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In this document, the Wireline Competition Bureau seeks 
comment on whether to fund Rural Health Care Pilot Program (Pilot 
Program) participants who will exhaust funding allocated to them before 
or during funding year 2012 (July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013). This funding 
would maintain support for qualifying Pilot Program participants, on an 
interim basis, during the 2012 funding year to provide time to 
establish a process to transition them into the permanent Rural Health 
Care support mechanism (RHC support mechanism).

DATES: Comments are due on or before April 18, 2012. Reply comments are 
due on or before May 3, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file comments on or before April 18, 
2012. All pleadings are to reference WC Docket No. 02-60. Comments may 
be filed using the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System 
(ECFS), or by filing paper copies, by any of the following methods:
     Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically 
using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/.
     Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must 
file an original and four copies of each filing. If more than one 
docket or rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, 
filers must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or 
rulemaking number.
     People with Disabilities: To request materials in 
accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, 
electronic files, audio format), send an email to fcc504@fcc.gov or 
call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 
(voice), (202) 418-0432 (tty).

For detailed instructions for submitting comments and additional 
information on the rulemaking process, see the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christianna Lewis Barnhart, Wireline 
Competition Bureau at Christianna.Barnhart@fcc.gov or (202) 418-7400 or 
TTY (202) 418-0484.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a synopsis of the Commission's 
Public Notice in WC Docket No. 02-60; DA 12-273, released February 27, 
2012. The complete text of this document is available for inspection 
and copying during normal business hours in the FCC Reference 
Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street SW., Room CY-A257, 
Washington, DC 20554. The document may also be purchased from the 
Commission's duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc., 445 
12th Street SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554, telephone (800) 
378-3160 or (202) 863-2893, facsimile (202) 863-2898, or via the 
Internet at https://www.bcpiweb.com.
    1. The Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) seeks comment on 
whether to fund Rural Health Care Pilot Program (Pilot Program) 
participants who will exhaust funding allocated to them before or 
during funding year 2012 (July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013). This funding 
would maintain support for qualifying Pilot Program participants, on an 
interim basis, during the 2012 funding year to provide time to 
establish a process to transition them into the permanent Rural Health 
Care support mechanism (RHC support mechanism). To support these 
transitioning Pilot Program participants, the funds that were 
previously designated for projects that withdrew from the Program or 
otherwise failed to meet the June 30, 2011, deadline could be used 
without increasing overall demand.

I. Background

    2. The rural health care telecommunications program ensures that 
rural health care providers pay no more than their urban counterparts 
for their telecommunications needs in the provision of health care 
services. The rural health care Internet access program provides a 25 
percent discount off the cost of monthly Internet access

[[Page 14365]]

for eligible rural health care providers. Together the 
telecommunications and Internet access programs are commonly referred 
to as the ``Primary Program.''
    3. In 2006, the Commission created a three-year Pilot Program to 
examine ways to use the RHC support mechanism to enhance public and 
non-profit health care providers' access to advanced telecommunications 
and information services. Participants in the Pilot Program are 
eligible to receive universal service funding to support up to 85 
percent of the eligible costs of broadband infrastructure deployment of 
telehealth networks that connect to rural and urban health care 
providers in a State or region. Although the FCC originally selected 69 
different projects to participate in the Pilot Program, only 50 
projects are currently in existence today. Several projects merged and 
twelve projects either withdrew from the program or otherwise failed to 
meet the June 30, 2011 funding commitment deadline and were no longer 
eligible to participate in the Pilot Program. Funding that was 
designated to support these twelve projects totaled approximately $30 
million.
    4. Approximately 484 individual health care providers (HCPs) 
participating in the Pilot Program are scheduled to transition out of 
the program during the 2012 funding year because their respective Pilot 
projects will have reached their funding cap under the 2007 Pilot 
Program Selection Order, 73 FR 8670, February 14, 2008, and the HCPs 
will have exhausted the amounts of Pilot Program support allocated to 
them under the relevant funding commitment letters issued by USAC. 
These providers are members of networks, as was required by the Pilot 
Program, and they applied for Pilot funding as consortia (as explicitly 
permitted under section 254(h)(7)(B) of the Act). The rural HCPs that 
have exhausted their Pilot funding could seek support from the Primary 
Program in the 2012 funding year (July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013). 
Significant differences between Pilot and Primary Program rules 
regarding eligibility and funding may make it difficult, however, for 
Pilot Program participants to apply for funding in the Primary Program. 
One Pilot project (and its service provider) has already raised 
questions about transitioning to the funding mechanisms in the Primary 
Program.
    5. In July 2010, the Commission sought comment on a number of 
issues, including how to transition Pilot Program participants to the 
ongoing rural health care support mechanism. We now seek more focused 
comment on supporting select Pilot Program participants at their 
current funding levels to ``bridge'' the disparity in funding and 
application requirements between the Pilot Program and Primary Programs 
for the 2012-2013 funding year. The Commission recognized in the 2006 
Pilot Program Order, 71 FR 65517, November 8, 2006, that circumstances 
may necessitate additional funding for Pilot Program participants. 
Accordingly, this ``bridge'' funding could provide additional time to 
consider how best to transition Pilot Program participants, while 
preserving the connectivity that has been developed under the Pilot. To 
support these transitioning Pilot Program participants, the funds that 
were previously designated for projects that withdrew from the Program 
or otherwise failed to meet the June 30, 2011, deadline could be used 
without increasing overall demand.
    6. Exhaustion of Pilot Program Funds. We seek comment on providing 
funds only to those participants that will have exhausted all Pilot 
Program funding allocated to them before or during funding year 2012 
(July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013), as described above. USAC estimates that 
approximately 14 out of the existing 50 projects will have some 
individual health care providers that will have spent all of the money 
in their initial award. We seek comment on this proposal and how 
providing such funding for an additional year would impact the 
sustainability of the networks developed with Pilot Program funds.
    7. Support levels for 2012-2013 funding year. We also seek comment 
on whether to maintain the existing level of support that these Pilot 
Program participants receive annually for their recurring costs. For 
instance, USAC could determine each participant's allocation for 
funding year 2012 by calculating the yearly average amount of support 
for recurring costs that participants have received over the life of 
their Pilot projects and fund them at that amount. Using this 
methodology, USAC estimates that it would cost approximately $10 
million to fund transitioning health care providers in funding year 
2012. We seek comment on this proposal to maintain the current level of 
support for eligible Pilot Program participants' recurring costs. 
Alternatively, those recipients could receive a lower discount than the 
current 85 percent. Commenters who suggest alternative funding support 
levels should offer explanation why the funding level should be 
different than what is currently provided in the Pilot Program.
    8. Duration. Pilot Program participants who meet eligibility 
requirements to receive transitional funding would only be eligible to 
receive funds for the 2012 funding year (July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013). 
We seek comment on this proposal. Commenters who suggest that Pilot 
Program participants should be eligible for funding for a different 
period of time should provide reasoning for their proposal.
    9. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This document does not contain 
new or modified information collection(s) subject to the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Public Law 104-13. In addition, therefore, 
it does not contain any new or modified information burden for small 
business concerns with fewer than 25 employees, pursuant to the Small 
Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(4).
    10. Pursuant to Sec. Sec.  1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission's 
rules, 47 CFR 1.415, 1.419, interested parties may file comments on or 
before the dates indicated on the first page of this document. All 
pleadings are to reference WC Docket No. 02-60. Comments may be filed 
using: (1) The Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), or 
(2) by filing paper copies. All filings must be addressed to the 
Commission's Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications 
Commission.
    11. Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using 
the Internet by accessing the ECFS: https://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/. Filers 
should follow the instructions provided on the Web site for submitting 
comments.
    12. Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an 
original and one copy of each filing. If more than one docket or 
rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, filers 
must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or 
rulemaking number. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, 
by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. 
Postal Service mail. All filings must be addressed to the Commission's 
Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission.
     All hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings 
for the Commission's Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 
445 12th St. SW., Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. All hand 
deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any 
envelopes must be disposed of before entering the building. The filing 
hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

[[Page 14366]]

     Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service 
Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton 
Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743.
     U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority 
mail must be addressed to 445 12th Street SW., Washington DC 20554.
    13. Additional copies. One copy of each filing must be sent to each 
of the following:
     The Commission's duplicating contractor, Best Copy and 
Printing, Inc., 445 12th Street SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 
20554, www.bcpiweb.com; phone: (202) 488-5300 fax: (202) 488-5563;
     Christianna Lewis Barnhart, Telecommunications Access 
Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, 445 12th Street SW., Room 
5-B552, Washington, DC 20554; email: Christianna.Barnhart@fcc.gov and
     Charles Tyler, Telecommunications Access Policy Division, 
Wireline Competition Bureau, 445 12th Street SW., Room 5-B521, 
Washington, DC 20554; email: Charles.Tyler@fcc.gov.
    14. People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible 
formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic 
files, audio format), send an email to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the 
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 
418-0432
    15. Filings and comments are also available for public inspection 
and copying during regular business hours at the FCC Reference 
Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street SW., Room CY-A257, 
Washington, DC 20554. They may also be purchased from the Commission's 
duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc., Portals II, 445 
12th Street SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554, telephone: (202) 
488-5300, fax: (202) 488-5563, or via email www.bcpiweb.com.
    16. This matter shall be treated as a ``permit-but-disclose'' 
proceeding in accordance with the Commission's ex parte rules. Persons 
making oral ex parte presentations are reminded that memoranda 
summarizing the presentations must contain summaries of the substance 
of the presentation and not merely a listing of the subjects discussed. 
More than a one or two sentence description of the views and arguments 
presented generally is required. Other rules pertaining to oral and 
written ex parte presentations in permit-but-disclose proceedings are 
set forth in Sec.  1.1206(b) of the Commission's rules.

Federal Communications Commission.
Trent Harkrader,
Division Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2012-5687 Filed 3-8-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
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