FEDERAL AGENCY:

NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

AUTHORIZATION:

Communications Act of 1934, Title III, Part IV, 47 U.S.C 390-394, 397-399 (b) as amended, Public Law 87-447, 76 Stat. 64; Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2002; Public Law 107-77; and Public Law 107-117.

To assist in the planning, acquisition, installation and modernization of public telecommunications facilities, through planning grants and matching construction grants, in order to: a) extend delivery of public telecommunications services to as many citizens of the United States and territories as possible by the most efficient and economical means, including the use of broadcast and nonbroadcast technologies; b) increase public telecommunications services and facilities available to, operated by and owned by minorities and women; and c) strengthen the capability of existing public television and radio stations to provide public telecommunications service to the public.

TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:

Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition

USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:

Provides grants for the planning and construction of public telecommunications facilities. Matching grants are given for apparatus necessary for production, dissemination, interconnection, captioning, broadcast, or other distribution of programming and reception of noncommercial educational, cultural radio and television programs, and related noncommercial instructional or informational material. Costs associated with filing for Federal assistance, installation costs, and other pre-operational costs are eligible to be included in requests for matching funds. Buildings and renovations of buildings, land, operational expenses, and indirect costs are ineligible.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:   A public or noncommercial educational broadcast station; a noncommercial telecommunications entity; a system of public telecommunications entities; a nonprofit foundation, corporation, institution or association organized primarily for educational or cultural purposes; State, local, and Indian Tribal governments (or an agency thereof); or a political or special purpose subdivision of a State. Special consideration is given to applications which would increase minority and women's ownership of, operation of, and participation in public telecommunications entities.

Beneficiary Eligibility:   General public and students.

Credentials/Documentation:   All applicants must supply proof of eligibility. Applicants must supply proof of their Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license, permit, or application if FCC authorization is required for any aspect of the proposed project. Applicants must provide assurances required under Program Rules and Regulations.

Pre-application Coordination:   Program staff members are available to provide technical and other assistance in preparing application forms. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O.12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. Applicants must coordinate their project plans with the State educational television, radio, or telecommunications agency and must file an application with the FCC if an FCC authorization is required for the proposed project. Applicants must show evidence of participation in comprehensive planning in the area to be served including an evaluation of alternate technologies. If an environmental impact statement or assessment is required by any Federal, State, or local agency, a copy must be submitted by the applicants.

Application Procedure:   The application forms as furnished by the Federal Agency and approved by OMB must be used for this program. The Application Kit can be requested from the Agency or retrieved from the web-site at www.ntia.doc.gov. Applicants must file by the deadline, a completed PTFP Application Form, Project Narrative, Project Budget forms, relevant exhibits, CD-511, CD 346, SF 424B, SF LLL. Applicants must notify where applicable the State Telecommunications Agency, State Single Point of Contact, and the Federal Communications Commission. Applications postmarked or received after the deadline are returned to applicants.

Award Procedure:   Applications are reviewed on the basis of funding criteria for construction and planning applications as set forth in the regulations. The Administrator of NTIA may select an application for funding, in whole or in part, and will notify the applicant, the relevant State agency, the FCC, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Deadlines:   The Administrator of NTIA shall select and publish in the Federal Register the date by which new applications and reactivation requests for deferred applications must be filed in order to be considered for funding in the current fiscal year. For fiscal year 2003 consideration, the deadline for filing television applications was November 19,2002. The deadline for radio and distance learing applications is planned for March 2003.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:   Awards for the current fiscal year are generally announced in 180 days. Applications received by NTIA remain eligible for funding consideration until withdrawn or returned.

Appeals:   Applicants may appeal determinations of ineligibility for funding to the Administrator of NTIA, as set forth in the regulations.

Renewals:   Applications that are not funded may be reactivated upon request of the applicant during the 2 consecutive years following the applicant's initial receipt by the agency, as provided by program regulations.

ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:   47 U.S.C 392 (b) and (c); 15 CFR 2301.6. The Administrator may provide up to 100 percent of the funds necessary for the planning of a public telecommunications facility. The maximum amount of Federal grant for the construction of a public telecommunication facility is 75 percent of the eligible project costs.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:   Projects must be completed within a reasonable period of time, generally 1 to 2 years as specified in the award document. Prompt completion is expected. Extensions, however, may be requested in writing if circumstances require additional time. Extensions must be approved by the Grants Officer. Financial assistance is generally released as required during the award period. Since fiscal year 2000, NTIA has considered applications that request multi-year funding to convert their facilities to digital broadcasting. The period of performance for these projects may extend up to three years. Funding for each subsequent year of a multi-year award will be at the sole discretion of the Department of Commerce and will depend on satisfactory performance by the recipient and the availability of funds to support the continuation of the project.

POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:   During construction, quarterly progress reports must be submitted. The Federal Government maintains a 10-year reversionary interest in the use of the facilities from the date of completion. Annual reports must be submitted before April 1st of each year during such period.

Audits:   Audits will be conducted in accordance with the terms and conditions of the award and OMB Circular No. A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133, (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal Awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for the year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records:   Recipients of construction grants shall keep a complete and itemized inventory of equipment for all public telecommunications facilities under their control. All grantees shall keep complete, current and accessible financial records on all funds associated with the total project. All records of accounts, supporting documents and project records must be retained by the recipient and subrecipient for a period of 3 years from the date of submission of the final Financial Status Report.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION:

Account Identification:   13-0551-0-1-503.

Obligations:   (Grants) FY 02 $45,399,332; FY 03 est $41,108,000; and FY 04 est $61,108,000.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  
$15,073 to $1,800,000. Average: $362,575.

In fiscal year 2002, NTIA received 237 applications requesting $105 million. During 2002, the program awarded 116 grants for $42 million. In addition to these projects, NTIA awarded three grants from a special supplemental appropriation to stations in New York City. The grants are helping to re-establish the stations' transmission facilities that were destroyed by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:

Public Telecommunications Facilities Program and Policy Statement, Final Rules, 15 CFR 2301 printed in 61 FR 57966 (November 8, 1996). Written request to the Director, Public Telecommunications Facilities Program, will obtain application forms containing regulations, authorizing legislation, and other pertinent materials. Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular Nos. A-21 for institutions of higher education, A-87 for State, Local, and Indian Tribal Governments, and with A-122 for nonprofit organizations. Grants management will be in accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-110 for institutions of higher education and other nonprofit organizations and with 15 CFR Part 24 for State and Local Governments.

INFORMATION CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:   None.

Headquarters Office:   Mr. William Cooperman, Director, Public Telecommunications Facilities Program, Office of Telecommunications and Information Applications/NTIA, Room 4625, Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230. Telephone: (202) 482- 5802.

Web Site Address:   http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ptfp

EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:

1) By purchasing a transmitter, antenna, remote control, satellite receiver and associated equipment, Kanza Society, Garden City, KS, will activate a public radio station operating on 91.5 MHz in Bushland, TX. The new station will repeat the KANZ programming in Garden City; 2) In a single-phase project, Western New York Public Broadcasting Association, Buffalo, NY will convert WNED- TV, ch. 17, Buffalo, NY, to digital broadcasting on ch. 43. The equipment includes the transmitter, antenna, line, STL, server, and encoder. The station serves a population of about 1.6 million people; and 3) School District No. 1, Multnomah County, Portland, OR, will extend the distance learing service of Portland Public Schools to all of the system's 20 middle schools as well as to home-school families and to metro-area school districts. The project will purchase a digital matrix switching/signal and control system, a digital video storage unit, analog-to-digital video and audio converters, digital-to-analog video and audio converters, and diverse monitors and associated equipment.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:

In order to achieve the objectives of Section 393 of the Communications Act, the Administrator, in determining whether to approve a construction grant application in whole or in part and the amount of such grant, or whether to defer action on such an application, will consider: The projects conformance with priorities, and funding criteria set forth in the Act and the PTFP Rules and Regulations.