National Broadband Research Agenda, 62479-62481 [2016-21771]
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asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
National Broadband Research Agenda
National Telecommunications
and Information Administration, U.S.
Department of Commerce; National
Science Foundation.
ACTION: Notice, request for comments.
AGENCY:
In furtherance of the
Broadband Opportunity Council’s
recommendation to improve data
SUMMARY:
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collection, analysis and research on
broadband, the National
Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) and the National
Science Foundation (NSF) request
public comments to inform the
development of a National Broadband
Research Agenda (Agenda) in
collaboration with the Networking and
Information Technology Research and
Development (NITRD) Program and
other agencies that form the Council.
This Agenda will reflect the most
significant opportunities for data
collection, analysis, and research to
keep pace with, and take advantage of,
the massive digital changes that
permeate our economy and society.
DATES: Submit written comments on or
before 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on
October 11, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be
submitted by email to: NBRArfc2016@
ntia.doc.gov. Include ‘‘National
Broadband Research Agenda’’ in the
subject line of the message. Comments
submitted by email should be machinereadable and should not be copyprotected. Written comments may also
be submitted by mail to the National
Telecommunications and Information
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue
NW., Room 4887, Attn: National
Broadband Research Agenda,
Washington DC 20230. Responders
should include the name of the person
or organization filing the comment, as
well as a page number on each page of
the submission. Enclose a CD or DVD
version of your submission labeled with
the name and organization of the filer.
All comments received are a part of the
public record and will generally be
posted to https://www.ntia.doc.gov/
federal-register-notice/2016/commentsnational-broadband-research-agenda
without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address)
voluntarily submitted by commenters
may be publicly accessible. Do not
submit confidential business
information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information. NTIA will accept
anonymous comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Francine Alkisswani, National
Telecommunications and Information
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue
NW., Room 4621, Washington, DC
20230; telephone: (202) 482–5560;
email: falkisswani@ntia.doc.gov; or Jack
T. Brassil, Computer and Information
Science and Engineering, National
Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson
Boulevard, Room 1175.31N, Arlington,
VA 22230; telephone: (703) 292–8950;
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62479
email: jbrassil@nsf.gov. Please direct
media inquiries to NTIA’s Office of
Public Affairs; email: press@
ntia.doc.gov; telephone: (202) 482–7002.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
In March 2015, President Obama
created the Broadband Opportunity
Council (Council), composed of 25
federal departments and agencies, to
determine actions that the federal
government could take to eliminate
barriers to broadband deployment,
competition, and adoption and
encourage investment through executive
actions within the scope of existing
agency programs, missions, and
budgets.1 The U.S. Departments of
Commerce and Agriculture co-chaired
the Council.
In September 2015, the White House
released the Council’s report, which
described 36 concrete steps the member
agencies would take to reduce barriers,
incentivize investment, promote best
practices, align funding policies and
decisions, and support broadband
deployment and adoption.2 One of the
actions in the report called for NTIA
and NSF to develop a national
broadband research agenda with input
from other federal agencies and the
broader research community. This
Notice seeks recommendations from all
members of the research community to
support the development of the Agenda.
This input will supplement input
received through an NSF-sponsored
visioning workshop.3
II. Objectives of This Notice
This Notice seeks input to improve
data collection, analysis, research, and
their applications for the benefit of
broadband policy development,
program implementation, and program
evaluation. A robust broadband research
1 The White House, Office of the Press Secretary,
Presidential Memorandum—Expanding Broadband
Deployment and Adoption by Addressing
Regulatory Barriers and Encouraging Investment
and Training (March 23, 2015), available at https://
www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/03/23/
presidential-memorandum-expanding-broadbanddeployment-and-adoption-addr.
2 Broadband Opportunity Council, Report and
Recommendations Pursuant to the Presidential
Memorandum on Expanding Broadband
Deployment and Adoption by Addressing
Regulatory Barriers and Encouraging Investment
and Training (Aug. 20, 2015) at 12, available at
https://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/
broadband_opportunity_council_report_final.pdf.
3 The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded
the Pennsylvania State University, Institute of
Information Policy (IIP) to organize a visioning
workshop with leading experts in academia,
industry, and government on June 16–17, 2016, at
the NSF in Arlington, Virginia. See the details of
the ‘‘Broadband 2021’’ workshop at https://
broadband.ist.psu.edu/.
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asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
agenda will also help external
stakeholders, especially those whose
research initiatives rely on federal data,
reporting, funding, coordination, and
other federal resources and support.
This Notice seeks such input in four
specific areas: (i) Broadband technology;
(ii) broadband deployment, adoption,
and utilization by individual, business,
and institutional users; (iii) assessment
of economic and social impacts; and (iv)
opportunities for federal leadership in
data collection, research, and overall
coordination.
The success of the Agenda requires
not only high-impact, cutting-edge
proposals across data collection,
analysis, and research, but also an
overall strategic plan that is achievable.
Thus, through this Notice, NTIA and
NSF seek recommendations, best
practices, and solutions to current
challenges with regard to: Promising
research and analytical methodologies;
effective approaches for data collection
and sharing; opportunities for better
alignment and coordination for these
research efforts across all federal and
external stakeholders; funding strategies
with suggestions for prioritization and
public-private resource sharing; and
possible changes to federal policies and
programs that could enhance broadband
research. NTIA and NSF also encourage
interested parties to recommend any
other suggestions (e.g., research topics,
implementation approaches) if the
concepts are not articulated in this
Notice.
III. Request for Comments
Instructions for Commenters:
Commenters are encouraged to address
any or all of the following questions.
Commenters responding to specific
questions should label the response
with a question number. Comments that
contain references to studies, research,
and other empirical data that are not
widely published should include copies
of (or links to) the referenced materials
with the submitted comments.
For any response, commenters may
wish to consider describing specific
goals and action(s) that NTIA and/or
NSF, or other federal agencies, may take
(independently or in conjunction with
the private sector) to achieve those
goals; the benefits and costs associated
with the action(s); whether the proposal
is agency-specific or interagency; the
rationale and evidence to support the
proposal; and the roles of other
stakeholders.
A. Broadband Technology
Comments under this heading should
address research and evaluation as
related to broadband technology
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development and innovation. The
broadband technology landscape
continues to reflect rapid innovation
and advancement, across all levels of
the broadband technology value chain,
e.g., platforms, networks, devices,
services, applications. These advances
have yielded a myriad of new products
and services, and improved the quality
and performance of existing ones.
Questions related to technology research
follow:
1. What are the critical data and
research needs in the areas of broadband
technology and innovation?
2. What specific technology research
proposals, and associated
methodologies, should be prioritized to
support the advancement of broadband
technology? And why?
3. What specific technology research
proposals can support federal efforts to
foster the access and adoption of
broadband technology across rural
areas, and other unserved and
underserved segments, such as
population groups that have
traditionally under-utilized broadband
technology (e.g., seniors, low-income
families, persons with disabilities)?
B. Broadband Access and Adoption
Comments under this heading should
address research and evaluation as
related to programs, services, and
applications that drive broadband
access, adoption, and utilization for
individuals and their families,
businesses, and institutions. Questions
related to broadband deployment and
adoption follow:
4. What are the critical data and
research needs in the areas of broadband
deployment and access?
5. What specific research proposals,
and associated methodologies, regarding
broadband access should be prioritized?
And why?
6. What are specific areas for
federally-supported research as related
to key market trends that impact
broadband deployment, including
business models, public-private
partnerships, sustainability drivers, the
removal of regulatory barriers?
7. What are the critical data and
research needs in the areas of broadband
adoption and utilization?
8. What specific research proposals,
and associated methodologies, regarding
broadband adoption and utilization
should be prioritized? And why?
9. What specific research and data are
needed to understand how rural
residents and other population groups
that have traditionally under-utilized
broadband technology (e.g., seniors,
low-income families, persons with
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disabilities) can better adopt and use
broadband?
C. Socioeconomic Impacts
Comments under this heading should
address research and evaluation as
related to measuring the social and
economic impacts of deploying and/or
using broadband. Understanding the
economic and social impact of
broadband on the American society
influences the prioritization, design,
and evaluation of federal policies and
programs. Questions related to
socioeconomic impact follow:
10. What are the critical data and
research needs in the area of broadband
and its economic and social impact?
11. What specific research proposals,
and associated methodologies, regarding
the socioeconomic impact of broadband
should be prioritized?
12. Are there specific socioeconomic
research areas that can help measure the
effectiveness of federal programs
seeking to foster broadband access,
adoption, or competition?
D. Opportunities for Federal Leadership
in Data Collection and Research
Comments under this heading should
address proposals for implementing the
suggestions and recommendations
discussed above. The Agenda will
include a strategic plan that includes
specific initiatives, measurable goals,
and identification of the key resources
necessary for implementation.
Resources and leadership will be
required across a multitude of
stakeholders (e.g., federal government,
industry, academia). Questions related
to opportunities for federal leadership
and engagement with stakeholders
follow:
13. What opportunities exist to
improve the sharing of research from
federal research programs with external
stakeholders (e.g., industry, academia)?
Likewise, how can external stakeholders
better share their research with federal
agencies?
14. What are suggestions for
enhancing cross-disciplinary
collaboration in broadband research?
15. Given limited federal budgets and
existing research efforts led by industry,
academia, and other external groups,
what specific role should the federal
government play in the area of
broadband research (e.g., funding, data
gathering, coordination)?
16. Are there opportunities to collect
new broadband-related data or expand
current data sets within federal
programs that fund and/or produce
research?
17. What data (whether public or
commercial/proprietary) would
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 175 / Friday, September 9, 2016 / Notices
facilitate ground-breaking research
related to broadband, if that data were
to become available?
18. What are possible changes to
federal policies and programs that could
enhance broadband research?
19. What are recommendations for
standardizing broadband and
commonly-used demographic terms
across the research community? How
can these terms be operationalized to
ensure comparability of data?
Dated: September 6, 2016.
Kathy D. Smith,
Chief Counsel, National Telecommunications
and Information Administration.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Management Analyst, Office of the General
Counsel, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2016–21771 Filed 9–8–16; 8:45 am]
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[Docket ID: PTO–C–2016–0033; Docket
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National Medal of Technology and
Innovation Nomination Evaluation
Committee Meeting
United States Patent and
Trademark Office.
ACTION: Notice of closed meeting.
AGENCY:
The National Medal of
Technology and Innovation (NMTI)
Nomination Evaluation Committee will
meet in closed session on September 9,
2016. The primary purpose of the
meeting is to discuss the relative merits
of persons, teams, and companies
nominated for the 2015 NMTI.
DATES: The meeting will convene on
September 9, 2016, at approximately 9
a.m., and adjourn at approximately 5
p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the United States Patent and Trademark
Office, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria,
VA 22314.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John
Palafoutas, Program Manager, National
Medal of Technology and Innovation
Program, United States Patent and
Trademark Office, P.O. Box, Alexandria,
VA 22313; telephone (571) 272–9821; or
by electronic mail: nmti@uspto.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant
to the Federal Advisory Committee Act
(FACA), 5 U.S.C. app. 2, notice is
hereby given that the NMTI Nomination
Evaluation Committee, chartered to the
United States Department of Commerce,
will meet at the United States Patent
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and Trademark Office campus in
Alexandria, Virginia.
The Secretary of Commerce is
responsible for recommending to the
President prospective NMTI recipients.
The NMTI Nomination Evaluation
Committee evaluates the nominations
received pursuant to public solicitation
and makes its recommendations for the
Medal to the Secretary. Committee
members are distinguished experts in
the fields of science, technology,
business, and patent law drawn from
both the public and private sectors and
are appointed by the Secretary for threeyear terms.
In order to complete the 2015 NMTI
selection process prior to the next cycle
of awards, USPTO asked the members of
the Evaluation Committee to meet as
soon as possible. Because the committee
is newly formed and has multiple
scheduling conflicts, September 9, 2016
is the best date available for the
committee to meet in order to make
timely recommendations to the
Secretary of Commerce.
The NMTI Nomination Evaluation
Committee was established in
accordance with the FACA. The
Committee meeting will be closed to the
public in accordance with the FACA
and 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(6) and (9)(B),
because the discussion of the relative
merit of the Medal nominations is likely
to disclose information of a personal
nature that would constitute a clearly
unwarranted invasion of personal
privacy and premature disclosure of the
Committee’s recommendations would
be likely to significantly frustrate
implementation of the Medal Program.
The Chief Financial Officer and
Assistant Secretary for Administration,
United States Department of Commerce,
formally determined on September 6,
2016 pursuant to Section 10(d) of the
FACA, that the meeting may be closed
because Committee members are
concerned with matters that are within
the purview of 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(6) and
(9)(B). Due to closure of this meeting,
copies of any minutes of the meeting
will not be available. A copy of the
determination is available for public
inspection at the United States Patent
and Trademark Office.
Dated: September 7, 2016.
Russell Slifer,
Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for
Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of
the United States Patent and Trademark
Office.
[FR Doc. 2016–21871 Filed 9–8–16; 8:45 am]
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[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 175 (Friday, September 9, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62479-62481]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-21771]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
[Docket No. 160831803-6803-01]
RIN 0660-XC031
National Broadband Research Agenda
AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration,
U.S. Department of Commerce; National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Notice, request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In furtherance of the Broadband Opportunity Council's
recommendation to improve data collection, analysis and research on
broadband, the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) request
public comments to inform the development of a National Broadband
Research Agenda (Agenda) in collaboration with the Networking and
Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program and
other agencies that form the Council. This Agenda will reflect the most
significant opportunities for data collection, analysis, and research
to keep pace with, and take advantage of, the massive digital changes
that permeate our economy and society.
DATES: Submit written comments on or before 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight
Time on October 11, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted by email to:
NBRArfc2016@ntia.doc.gov. Include ``National Broadband Research
Agenda'' in the subject line of the message. Comments submitted by
email should be machine-readable and should not be copy-protected.
Written comments may also be submitted by mail to the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Room 4887, Attn: National
Broadband Research Agenda, Washington DC 20230. Responders should
include the name of the person or organization filing the comment, as
well as a page number on each page of the submission. Enclose a CD or
DVD version of your submission labeled with the name and organization
of the filer. All comments received are a part of the public record and
will generally be posted to https://www.ntia.doc.gov/federal-register-notice/2016/comments-national-broadband-research-agenda without change.
All personal identifying information (e.g., name, address) voluntarily
submitted by commenters may be publicly accessible. Do not submit
confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected
information. NTIA will accept anonymous comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Francine Alkisswani, National
Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Room 4621, Washington, DC
20230; telephone: (202) 482-5560; email: falkisswani@ntia.doc.gov; or
Jack T. Brassil, Computer and Information Science and Engineering,
National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Room 1175.31N,
Arlington, VA 22230; telephone: (703) 292-8950; email:
jbrassil@nsf.gov. Please direct media inquiries to NTIA's Office of
Public Affairs; email: press@ntia.doc.gov; telephone: (202) 482-7002.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
In March 2015, President Obama created the Broadband Opportunity
Council (Council), composed of 25 federal departments and agencies, to
determine actions that the federal government could take to eliminate
barriers to broadband deployment, competition, and adoption and
encourage investment through executive actions within the scope of
existing agency programs, missions, and budgets.\1\ The U.S.
Departments of Commerce and Agriculture co-chaired the Council.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, Presidential
Memorandum--Expanding Broadband Deployment and Adoption by
Addressing Regulatory Barriers and Encouraging Investment and
Training (March 23, 2015), available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/03/23/presidential-memorandum-expanding-broadband-deployment-and-adoption-addr.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In September 2015, the White House released the Council's report,
which described 36 concrete steps the member agencies would take to
reduce barriers, incentivize investment, promote best practices, align
funding policies and decisions, and support broadband deployment and
adoption.\2\ One of the actions in the report called for NTIA and NSF
to develop a national broadband research agenda with input from other
federal agencies and the broader research community. This Notice seeks
recommendations from all members of the research community to support
the development of the Agenda. This input will supplement input
received through an NSF-sponsored visioning workshop.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Broadband Opportunity Council, Report and Recommendations
Pursuant to the Presidential Memorandum on Expanding Broadband
Deployment and Adoption by Addressing Regulatory Barriers and
Encouraging Investment and Training (Aug. 20, 2015) at 12, available
at https://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/broadband_opportunity_council_report_final.pdf.
\3\ The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded the
Pennsylvania State University, Institute of Information Policy (IIP)
to organize a visioning workshop with leading experts in academia,
industry, and government on June 16-17, 2016, at the NSF in
Arlington, Virginia. See the details of the ``Broadband 2021''
workshop at https://broadband.ist.psu.edu/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
II. Objectives of This Notice
This Notice seeks input to improve data collection, analysis,
research, and their applications for the benefit of broadband policy
development, program implementation, and program evaluation. A robust
broadband research
[[Page 62480]]
agenda will also help external stakeholders, especially those whose
research initiatives rely on federal data, reporting, funding,
coordination, and other federal resources and support. This Notice
seeks such input in four specific areas: (i) Broadband technology; (ii)
broadband deployment, adoption, and utilization by individual,
business, and institutional users; (iii) assessment of economic and
social impacts; and (iv) opportunities for federal leadership in data
collection, research, and overall coordination.
The success of the Agenda requires not only high-impact, cutting-
edge proposals across data collection, analysis, and research, but also
an overall strategic plan that is achievable. Thus, through this
Notice, NTIA and NSF seek recommendations, best practices, and
solutions to current challenges with regard to: Promising research and
analytical methodologies; effective approaches for data collection and
sharing; opportunities for better alignment and coordination for these
research efforts across all federal and external stakeholders; funding
strategies with suggestions for prioritization and public-private
resource sharing; and possible changes to federal policies and programs
that could enhance broadband research. NTIA and NSF also encourage
interested parties to recommend any other suggestions (e.g., research
topics, implementation approaches) if the concepts are not articulated
in this Notice.
III. Request for Comments
Instructions for Commenters: Commenters are encouraged to address
any or all of the following questions. Commenters responding to
specific questions should label the response with a question number.
Comments that contain references to studies, research, and other
empirical data that are not widely published should include copies of
(or links to) the referenced materials with the submitted comments.
For any response, commenters may wish to consider describing
specific goals and action(s) that NTIA and/or NSF, or other federal
agencies, may take (independently or in conjunction with the private
sector) to achieve those goals; the benefits and costs associated with
the action(s); whether the proposal is agency-specific or interagency;
the rationale and evidence to support the proposal; and the roles of
other stakeholders.
A. Broadband Technology
Comments under this heading should address research and evaluation
as related to broadband technology development and innovation. The
broadband technology landscape continues to reflect rapid innovation
and advancement, across all levels of the broadband technology value
chain, e.g., platforms, networks, devices, services, applications.
These advances have yielded a myriad of new products and services, and
improved the quality and performance of existing ones. Questions
related to technology research follow:
1. What are the critical data and research needs in the areas of
broadband technology and innovation?
2. What specific technology research proposals, and associated
methodologies, should be prioritized to support the advancement of
broadband technology? And why?
3. What specific technology research proposals can support federal
efforts to foster the access and adoption of broadband technology
across rural areas, and other unserved and underserved segments, such
as population groups that have traditionally under-utilized broadband
technology (e.g., seniors, low-income families, persons with
disabilities)?
B. Broadband Access and Adoption
Comments under this heading should address research and evaluation
as related to programs, services, and applications that drive broadband
access, adoption, and utilization for individuals and their families,
businesses, and institutions. Questions related to broadband deployment
and adoption follow:
4. What are the critical data and research needs in the areas of
broadband deployment and access?
5. What specific research proposals, and associated methodologies,
regarding broadband access should be prioritized? And why?
6. What are specific areas for federally-supported research as
related to key market trends that impact broadband deployment,
including business models, public-private partnerships, sustainability
drivers, the removal of regulatory barriers?
7. What are the critical data and research needs in the areas of
broadband adoption and utilization?
8. What specific research proposals, and associated methodologies,
regarding broadband adoption and utilization should be prioritized? And
why?
9. What specific research and data are needed to understand how
rural residents and other population groups that have traditionally
under-utilized broadband technology (e.g., seniors, low-income
families, persons with disabilities) can better adopt and use
broadband?
C. Socioeconomic Impacts
Comments under this heading should address research and evaluation
as related to measuring the social and economic impacts of deploying
and/or using broadband. Understanding the economic and social impact of
broadband on the American society influences the prioritization,
design, and evaluation of federal policies and programs. Questions
related to socioeconomic impact follow:
10. What are the critical data and research needs in the area of
broadband and its economic and social impact?
11. What specific research proposals, and associated methodologies,
regarding the socioeconomic impact of broadband should be prioritized?
12. Are there specific socioeconomic research areas that can help
measure the effectiveness of federal programs seeking to foster
broadband access, adoption, or competition?
D. Opportunities for Federal Leadership in Data Collection and Research
Comments under this heading should address proposals for
implementing the suggestions and recommendations discussed above. The
Agenda will include a strategic plan that includes specific
initiatives, measurable goals, and identification of the key resources
necessary for implementation. Resources and leadership will be required
across a multitude of stakeholders (e.g., federal government, industry,
academia). Questions related to opportunities for federal leadership
and engagement with stakeholders follow:
13. What opportunities exist to improve the sharing of research
from federal research programs with external stakeholders (e.g.,
industry, academia)? Likewise, how can external stakeholders better
share their research with federal agencies?
14. What are suggestions for enhancing cross-disciplinary
collaboration in broadband research?
15. Given limited federal budgets and existing research efforts led
by industry, academia, and other external groups, what specific role
should the federal government play in the area of broadband research
(e.g., funding, data gathering, coordination)?
16. Are there opportunities to collect new broadband-related data
or expand current data sets within federal programs that fund and/or
produce research?
17. What data (whether public or commercial/proprietary) would
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facilitate ground-breaking research related to broadband, if that data
were to become available?
18. What are possible changes to federal policies and programs that
could enhance broadband research?
19. What are recommendations for standardizing broadband and
commonly-used demographic terms across the research community? How can
these terms be operationalized to ensure comparability of data?
Dated: September 6, 2016.
Kathy D. Smith,
Chief Counsel, National Telecommunications and Information
Administration.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Management Analyst, Office of the General Counsel, National Science
Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2016-21771 Filed 9-8-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P