Recruitment of First Responder Network Authority Board of Directors, 27442-27443 [2012-11283]
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27442
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 91 / Thursday, May 10, 2012 / Notices
Dated: May 7, 2012.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012–11306 Filed 5–9–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and
Information Administration
Recruitment of First Responder
Network Authority Board of Directors
National Telecommunications
and Information Administration, U.S.
Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
Pursuant to the Middle Class
Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012
(‘‘the Act’’), Public Law 112–96, 126
Stat. 156 (2012), the National
Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) announces the
recruitment of the Board of Directors of
the First Responder Network Authority
(FirstNet). The Act created FirstNet as
an independent authority within NTIA
that will establish a single nationwide,
interoperable public safety broadband
network. The Board of Directors will be
responsible for making strategic
decisions regarding FirstNet’s
operations. Expressions of interest for
membership on the FirstNet Board of
Directors will be accepted until May 25,
2012.
DATES: Expressions of interest must be
postmarked or electronically
transmitted on or before May 25, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to submit
expressions of interest as described
below should send that information to:
Jim Wasilewski, Deputy Chief of Staff,
by email to FirstNetBoard@ntia.doc.gov;
by U.S. mail or commercial delivery
service to: Office of the Assistant
Secretary, National
Telecommunications and Information
Administration, 1401 Constitution
Avenue NW., Room 4898, Washington,
DC 20230; or by facsimile transmission
to (202) 501–0536.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim
Wasilewski, National
Telecommunications and Information
Administration, 1401 Constitution
Avenue NW., Room 4898, Washington,
DC 20230, (202) 482–1840,
jwasilewski@ntia.doc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
I. Background and Authority
Title VI of the Act provides 20
megahertz of spectrum and $7 billion to
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:18 May 09, 2012
Jkt 226001
establish a single nationwide,
interoperable public safety broadband
network. It also establishes FirstNet as
an independent authority within NTIA
to build, deploy, and operate the
network and to hold the single public
safety license granted for wireless
public safety broadband deployment.1
The Act also sets forth the structure of
FirstNet’s Board of Directors.2 Under the
Act, the Board will be responsible for
making strategic decisions regarding
FirstNet’s operations and ensuring the
success of Congress’s vision for the
network. The Act requires that the
Board be established no later than
August 20, 2012.
will be compensated at the daily rate of
basic pay for level IV of the Executive
Schedule (approximately $155,000 per
year).8 Each Board member must be a
United States citizen, cannot be a
registered lobbyist, and cannot be a
registered agent of, employed by, or
receive payments from, a foreign
government. The Board will meet at the
call of the Chair and not less than once
each quarter. Initial Board members will
serve one, two, or three year terms.
Subsequent Board members will be
appointed for a term of three years, and
Board members may not serve more
than two consecutive terms.
II. Structure
The FirstNet Board of Directors will
be composed of 15 individuals.3 The
Act names the Secretary of Homeland
Security, the Attorney General, and the
Director of the Office of Management
and Budget as permanent members of
the Board.4 The Secretary of Commerce
will select the remaining 12 members.5
Each Board member must have expertise
in at least one of the following
substantive areas: Public safety,
technical, network, and financial.6 In
addition, three Board members must
represent the collective interests of
states, localities, tribes, and territories;
three Board members must have served
as public safety professionals; and the
Board as a whole should reflect
geographical and regional diversity as
well as rural and urban representation.7
Responsibilities of the Board will
include creating the over-arching
strategic framework for the public safety
network, ensuring nationwide standards
for use and access to the network based
on commercial standards, working to
deliver economies of scale for public
safety, maximizing opportunities for
long-term cost savings and improved
functionality, integrating federal first
responders and public-safety-related
uses to maximize the efficiency of the
new network, and formulating a fee
collection system to ensure FirstNet
self-sustainability.
IV. Financial Disclosure and Conflicts
of Interest
III. Compensation and Status as
Government Employees
FirstNet Board members will be
appointed as federal government
employees. FirstNet Board members
1 See Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation
Act of 2012 § 6201, Public Law 112–96, 126 Stat.
156 (2012).
2 Id. § 6204(a).
3 Id. § 6204(b).
4 Id. § 6204(b)(1).
5 Id. § 6204(b)(1)(d).
6 Id. § 6204(b)(2)(B)(i).
7 Id. § 6204(b)(2)(A).
PO 00000
Frm 00027
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
FirstNet Board members will be
required to comply with certain federal
conflict of interest statutes and ethics
regulations, including some financial
disclosure requirements. FirstNet Board
members will generally be prohibited
from participating on any particular
matter that will have a direct and
predictable effect on his or her personal
financial interests or on the interests of
the appointee’s spouse, minor children,
or non-Federal employer.
V. Selection Process
At the direction of the Secretary of
Commerce, NTIA has been conducting
outreach to the public safety community
and industry to solicit nominations for
candidates to the Board who satisfy the
statutory requirements for membership.
In addition, by this Notice, the Secretary
of Commerce, through NTIA, will accept
expressions of interest from any
individual or organization who wishes
to propose a candidate. All parties
wishing to be considered should submit
their full name, address, telephone
number, email address, a current
resume, and a statement of
qualifications referencing the Act’s
eligibility requirements as described in
this Notice.
The Secretary of Commerce will select
FirstNet Board candidates based on the
eligibility requirements in the Act and
input and recommendations from NTIA.
Board candidates will be evaluated
based on their ability to contribute to
the goals and objectives of FirstNet as
set forth in the Act. Board candidates
will be vetted through the Department
of Commerce. FirstNet Board candidates
may be subject to an appropriate
background check for security
clearance.
8 Id.
E:\FR\FM\10MYN1.SGM
§ 6204(g)(1).
10MYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 91 / Thursday, May 10, 2012 / Notices
Dated: May 7, 2012.
Lawrence E. Strickling,
Assistant Secretary for Communications and
Information.
[FR Doc. 2012–11283 Filed 5–9–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–60–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark
Office
[Docket No.: PTO–P–2012–0022]
Quick Path Information Disclosure
Statement (QPIDS) Pilot Program
United States Patent and
Trademark Office, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO) is
implementing a pilot program intended
to reduce pendency and applicant costs
when an information disclosure
statement (IDS) is filed after payment of
the issue fee. This pilot program will
permit an examiner to consider an IDS
after payment of the issue fee without
the need to reopen prosecution,
effectively obviating the need to pursue
a request for continued examination
(RCE). Where the examiner determines
that no item of information in the IDS
necessitates reopening prosecution, the
Office will issue a corrected notice of
allowability. In addition to reducing
pendency, this pilot program will
promote efficiency in the examination
process. There will be no fee required to
use this program, beyond existing fees,
e.g., fees for IDS submission.
DATES: Effective Date: May 16, 2012.
Duration: The QPIDS Pilot Program
will run from its effective date until
September 30, 2012. Therefore, an IDS
submitted under this pilot program
must be filed on or before September 30,
2012. The USPTO may extend this pilot
program (with or without modifications)
depending on feedback from the
participants and the effectiveness of the
program.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Nicole D. Haines, Legal Advisor, or Raul
Tamayo, Legal Advisor, Office of Patent
Legal Administration, Office of the
Deputy Commissioner for Patent
Examination Policy, by telephone at
(571) 272–7717 or (571) 272–7728,
respectively, or by mail addressed to:
Mail Stop Comments—Patents,
Commissioner for Patents, P.O. Box
1450, Alexandria, VA 22313–1450.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Applicants who become aware of
information after payment of the issue
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:18 May 09, 2012
Jkt 226001
fee often file RCEs to have this
information considered by an examiner.
This is because 37 CFR 1.97 does not
provide applicants with the opportunity
to file an IDS after payment of the issue
fee. Thus, applicants who determine
that they need to file an IDS after
payment of the issue fee must either file
a petition under 37 CFR 1.313(c)(2) to
withdraw the application from issue in
order to permit entry of an RCE and
have the accompanying IDS considered
by the examiner, or file a petition under
37 CFR 1.313(c)(3) to withdraw the
application from issue for express
abandonment in favor of a continuing
application. These applications
experience delays associated with the
filing and processing of the RCE (or
continuing application), even if the
information in the IDS would not have
otherwise necessitated reopening
prosecution.
In order to reduce pendency delays
and costs associated with the current
process for considering IDS submissions
filed after payment of the issue fee, IDS
submissions made in accordance with
this pilot program will be considered by
the examiner before determining
whether prosecution should be
reopened. Under this pilot program,
prosecution will only be reopened
where the examiner determines that
reopening prosecution is necessary to
address an item of information in the
IDS. When the items of information in
the IDS do not require prosecution to be
reopened, the application will pass to
issue, thereby eliminating the delays
and costs associated with RCE practice.
A. QPIDS Pilot Program Requirements
In order to be eligible to participate in
this pilot program, an application must
be a utility or reissue application (i.e.,
this pilot program does not pertain to
design or plant applications). In
addition, as set forth in detail below, a
QPIDS submission must include the
following items: (1) A transmittal form
that designates the submission as a
QPIDS submission, such as form PTO/
SB/09; (2) an IDS accompanied by a
timeliness statement set forth in 37 CFR
1.97(e), with the IDS fee set forth in 37
CFR 1.17(p); (3) a Web-based ePetition
to withdraw from issue under 37 CFR
1.313(c)(2), with the petition fee set
forth in 37 CFR 1.17(h); and (4) an RCE,
which will be treated as a ‘‘conditional’’
RCE, with the RCE fee under 37 CFR
1.17(e). All papers associated with this
pilot program must be filed via the
USPTO’s Electronic Filing System-Web
(EFS-Web), and all fees must be paid by
authorization to charge a deposit
account.
PO 00000
Frm 00028
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
27443
1. Transmittal Form
A new transmittal form, PTO/SB/09,
has been made available at https://www.
uspto.gov/forms/index.jsp to identify
submissions made pursuant to this pilot
program. Use of this form will help the
Office to quickly identify QPIDS
submissions and facilitate timely
processing of such submissions. The
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) has determined that, under 5
CFR 1320.3(h), Form PTO/SB/09 does
not collect ‘‘information’’ within the
meaning of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995.
2. IDS With Timeliness Statement and
Fee
A submission under this pilot
program must include an IDS in
accordance with 37 CFR 1.97 and 37
CFR 1.98. Because 37 CFR 1.97(d) does
not provide for the filing of an IDS
submission after payment of the issue
fee, the USPTO is sua sponte waiving 37
CFR 1.97(d) for IDS submissions filed
under this pilot program to the extent
that IDS submissions pursuant to this
pilot program may be filed after
payment of the issue fee. However, the
requirements of 37 CFR 1.97(d)(1) and
(d)(2) that the IDS be accompanied by a
timeliness statement specified in 37
CFR 1.97(e) and the fee set forth in 37
CFR 1.17(p) are not waived.
IDS submissions made under this
pilot program must be accompanied by
either the timeliness statement set forth
in 37 CFR 1.97(e)(1) or the timeliness
statement set forth in 37 CFR 1.97(e)(2).
The QPIDS transmittal form PTO/SB/09
provides the appropriate timeliness
statements for selection by applicant.
Additionally, the IDS submission must
include the IDS fee set forth in 37 CFR
1.17(p), by including an authorization to
charge a deposit account. The QPIDS
transmittal form PTO/SB/09 provides an
authorization to charge a deposit
account for payment of the IDS fee. A
submission that provides for payment of
the IDS fee (or any other required fee)
via a fee transmittal form authorizing
another form of payment does not
comply with the requirements of this
pilot program. Thus, applicants must
have an established USPTO deposit
account to participate in this pilot
program. Information on USPTO deposit
accounts is available at https://www.
uspto.gov/about/offices/cfo/finance/
Dep_Account_Rules_and_Info.jsp.
3. Web-Based ePetition and Fee
A submission under this pilot
program must be filed with a ‘‘Petition
to Withdraw from Issue After Payment
of the Issue Fee’’ (37 CFR 1.313(c)(2))
E:\FR\FM\10MYN1.SGM
10MYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 91 (Thursday, May 10, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27442-27443]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-11283]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Recruitment of First Responder Network Authority Board of
Directors
AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration,
U.S. Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act
of 2012 (``the Act''), Public Law 112-96, 126 Stat. 156 (2012), the
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
announces the recruitment of the Board of Directors of the First
Responder Network Authority (FirstNet). The Act created FirstNet as an
independent authority within NTIA that will establish a single
nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network. The Board of
Directors will be responsible for making strategic decisions regarding
FirstNet's operations. Expressions of interest for membership on the
FirstNet Board of Directors will be accepted until May 25, 2012.
DATES: Expressions of interest must be postmarked or electronically
transmitted on or before May 25, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to submit expressions of interest as
described below should send that information to: Jim Wasilewski, Deputy
Chief of Staff, by email to FirstNetBoard@ntia.doc.gov; by U.S. mail or
commercial delivery service to: Office of the Assistant Secretary,
National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 1401
Constitution Avenue NW., Room 4898, Washington, DC 20230; or by
facsimile transmission to (202) 501-0536.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Wasilewski, National
Telecommunications and Information Administration, 1401 Constitution
Avenue NW., Room 4898, Washington, DC 20230, (202) 482-1840,
jwasilewski@ntia.doc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background and Authority
Title VI of the Act provides 20 megahertz of spectrum and $7
billion to establish a single nationwide, interoperable public safety
broadband network. It also establishes FirstNet as an independent
authority within NTIA to build, deploy, and operate the network and to
hold the single public safety license granted for wireless public
safety broadband deployment.\1\ The Act also sets forth the structure
of FirstNet's Board of Directors.\2\ Under the Act, the Board will be
responsible for making strategic decisions regarding FirstNet's
operations and ensuring the success of Congress's vision for the
network. The Act requires that the Board be established no later than
August 20, 2012.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ See Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012
Sec. 6201, Public Law 112-96, 126 Stat. 156 (2012).
\2\ Id. Sec. 6204(a).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
II. Structure
The FirstNet Board of Directors will be composed of 15
individuals.\3\ The Act names the Secretary of Homeland Security, the
Attorney General, and the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget as permanent members of the Board.\4\ The Secretary of Commerce
will select the remaining 12 members.\5\ Each Board member must have
expertise in at least one of the following substantive areas: Public
safety, technical, network, and financial.\6\ In addition, three Board
members must represent the collective interests of states, localities,
tribes, and territories; three Board members must have served as public
safety professionals; and the Board as a whole should reflect
geographical and regional diversity as well as rural and urban
representation.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Id. Sec. 6204(b).
\4\ Id. Sec. 6204(b)(1).
\5\ Id. Sec. 6204(b)(1)(d).
\6\ Id. Sec. 6204(b)(2)(B)(i).
\7\ Id. Sec. 6204(b)(2)(A).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsibilities of the Board will include creating the over-
arching strategic framework for the public safety network, ensuring
nationwide standards for use and access to the network based on
commercial standards, working to deliver economies of scale for public
safety, maximizing opportunities for long-term cost savings and
improved functionality, integrating federal first responders and
public-safety-related uses to maximize the efficiency of the new
network, and formulating a fee collection system to ensure FirstNet
self-sustainability.
III. Compensation and Status as Government Employees
FirstNet Board members will be appointed as federal government
employees. FirstNet Board members will be compensated at the daily rate
of basic pay for level IV of the Executive Schedule (approximately
$155,000 per year).\8\ Each Board member must be a United States
citizen, cannot be a registered lobbyist, and cannot be a registered
agent of, employed by, or receive payments from, a foreign government.
The Board will meet at the call of the Chair and not less than once
each quarter. Initial Board members will serve one, two, or three year
terms. Subsequent Board members will be appointed for a term of three
years, and Board members may not serve more than two consecutive terms.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ Id. Sec. 6204(g)(1).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV. Financial Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
FirstNet Board members will be required to comply with certain
federal conflict of interest statutes and ethics regulations, including
some financial disclosure requirements. FirstNet Board members will
generally be prohibited from participating on any particular matter
that will have a direct and predictable effect on his or her personal
financial interests or on the interests of the appointee's spouse,
minor children, or non-Federal employer.
V. Selection Process
At the direction of the Secretary of Commerce, NTIA has been
conducting outreach to the public safety community and industry to
solicit nominations for candidates to the Board who satisfy the
statutory requirements for membership. In addition, by this Notice, the
Secretary of Commerce, through NTIA, will accept expressions of
interest from any individual or organization who wishes to propose a
candidate. All parties wishing to be considered should submit their
full name, address, telephone number, email address, a current resume,
and a statement of qualifications referencing the Act's eligibility
requirements as described in this Notice.
The Secretary of Commerce will select FirstNet Board candidates
based on the eligibility requirements in the Act and input and
recommendations from NTIA. Board candidates will be evaluated based on
their ability to contribute to the goals and objectives of FirstNet as
set forth in the Act. Board candidates will be vetted through the
Department of Commerce. FirstNet Board candidates may be subject to an
appropriate background check for security clearance.
[[Page 27443]]
Dated: May 7, 2012.
Lawrence E. Strickling,
Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information.
[FR Doc. 2012-11283 Filed 5-9-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P
