Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; State and Local Implementation Grant Program Reporting Requirements, 2848-2849 [2016-00764]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Telecommunications and Information Administration

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 19, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2848-2849]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-00764]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; State and Local 
Implementation Grant Program Reporting Requirements

AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before March 21, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th 
and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet 
at JJessup@doc.gov).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instruments and instructions 
should be sent to Michael Dame, Telecommunications Policy Specialist, 
Office of Public Safety Communications, National Telecommunications and 
Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 
Constitution Avenue NW., Room 4078, Washington, DC 20230 (or via email 
at mdame@ntia.doc.gov).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Act, Pub. 
L. 112-96, 126 Stat. 156 (2012)) was signed by the President on 
February 22, 2012. The Act meets a long-standing priority of the 
Administration, as well as a critical national infrastructure need, to 
create a single, interoperable, nationwide public safety broadband 
network (NPSBN) that

[[Page 2849]]

will, for the first time, allow police officers, fire fighters, 
emergency medical service professionals, and other public safety 
officials to effectively communicate with each other across agencies 
and jurisdictions. Public safety workers have long been hindered in 
their ability to respond in a crisis situation because of incompatible 
communications networks and often outdated communications equipment. 
The Act establishes the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) as 
an independent authority within NTIA and authorizes it to take all 
actions necessary to ensure the design, construction, and operation of 
the NPSBN, based on a single, national network architecture.
    FirstNet is responsible for, at a minimum, ensuring nationwide 
standards for the use of and access to the network; issuing open, 
transparent, and competitive requests for proposals (RFPs) to build, 
operate, and maintain the network; encouraging these RFPs to leverage, 
to the maximum extent economically desirable, existing commercial 
wireless infrastructure to speed deployment of the network; and 
overseeing contracts with non-federal entities to build, operate, and 
maintain the network.
    The Act also charges NTIA with establishing a grant program, the 
State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP), to assist state, 
regional, tribal, and local jurisdictions with identifying, planning, 
and implementing the most efficient and effective means to use and 
integrate the infrastructure, equipment, and other architecture 
associated with the NPSBN to satisfy the wireless broadband and data 
services needs of their jurisdictions. The SLIGP program office awarded 
$116.5 million in grant funds to 54 active state and territorial 
recipients between July 2013 and June 2014.
    Moreover, the Act's framework contemplates that FirstNet will 
coordinate its activities with state, regional, tribal, and local 
governments and imposes a statutory requirement that FirstNet consult 
with these entities as it takes all actions necessary to build, deploy, 
and operate the NPSBN. Specifically, the Act requires FirstNet to 
consult with state, regional, tribal, and local governments about the 
distribution and expenditure of any amounts required to carry out its 
responsibilities, including: (i) The construction of a core network and 
any radio access network build-out; (ii) placement of towers; (iii) 
coverage areas of the network; (iv) adequacy of hardware, security, 
reliability, and resiliency requirements; (v) assignment of priority to 
local users and selection of entities seeking network access; and (vi) 
training needs of local users.
    Additionally, the Act specifies that these required consultations 
are to occur between FirstNet and the single point of contact that the 
State was required to designate in its application for grant funds 
under SLIGP or that the governor has since designated. Thus, progress 
in meeting FirstNet's responsibilities under the Act, including its 
required consultations, is inextricably linked to SLIGP. FirstNet must 
rely on NTIA to utilize SLIGP as the principal means to facilitate its 
required consultations. At the same time, without funding assistance 
from SLIGP, the states would lack the resources to consult effectively 
with FirstNet and provide it with information needed for it to proceed 
with the design and construction of a NPSBN in an effective and timely 
manner, as required by the Act.
    To ensure effective grant oversight and management, SLIGP developed 
a quarterly performance progress report (PPR) form for recipients to 
complete as part of post-award monitoring throughout the period of 
performance. The PPRs are critical to the success of the program and 
provide key insights into how grant funds are being used. Recipients 
are asked to report on progress toward program priority areas, which 
include stakeholders engaged, individuals sent to broadband 
conferences, staff hired, contracts executed, governance meetings held, 
and outreach materials distributed, as well as financial expenditures 
by cost category. The original approval of the performance progress 
report form was obtained on August 1, 2013, and the current form has an 
expiration date of August 31, 2016. NTIA seeks to extend the approval 
of this form, with a minor adjustment to the wording on the form to 
more clearly indicate to recipients how they are to report each 
measure. Currently the form includes a line for ``Stakeholder 
Meetings,'' but this metric is actually intended to capture the number 
of stakeholders engaged. The SLIGP program office proposes changing the 
wording to ``Stakeholders Engaged.'' The SLIGP program office also 
proposes to change the current line for ``Education and Outreach 
Materials'' to ``Education and Outreach Materials Distributed.'' The 
proposed minor revisions will not affect the amount of time needed to 
complete the form; rather, the proposed minor revisions will provide 
more clarity to recipients and reduce the time needed for revisions. 
NTIA will use the collection of information to ensure that SLIGP grant 
recipients are effectively monitored and evaluated against the core 
purposes of the program established by the Act. The publication of this 
notice allows NTIA to begin the process to extend the approval for the 
standard three years.

II. Method of Collection

    Paper format.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0660-0038.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (extension of a currently 
approved information collection with a minor adjustment to the form. 
The minor adjustments will not impact the time needed to complete the 
form).
    Affected Public: State, regional, local, and tribal government 
organizations.
    Frequency: Quarterly.
    Number of Respondents: 54.
    Average Time per Response: 12.5 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,700.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $105,246.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they will also become a matter of public record.

    Dated: January 12, 2016.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016-00764 Filed 1-15-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-06-P