81 FR 8049 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; State and Local Implementation Grant Program Closeout Documentation

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 31 (February 17, 2016)

Page Range		8049-8050
FR Document		2016-03139

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.

Federal Register, Volume 81 Issue 31 (Wednesday, February 17, 2016)

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 17, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8049-8050]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03139]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; State and Local 
Implementation Grant Program Closeout Documentation

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 April 18, 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 [email protected]).

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 [email protected]).

[[Page 8050]]


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 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 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.
    SLIGP recipients' periods of performance will end either on 
December 31, 2017, January 31, 2018, or February 28, 2018, depending on 
when the award was made. Following the award end date, grantees will be 
required to complete grant closeout activities within 90 days. The 
purpose of closeout is to capture a final account of grantee activities 
and how these activities contributed to overall program goals. To 
ensure effective grant oversight and management, SLIGP developed a 
closeout report form for recipients to complete as part of post-award 
monitoring and closeout activities at the end of the period of 
performance. The closeout form serves as a summary of grant-funded 
recipient activities over the entire award period and ensures that 
recipients comply with all necessary closeout procedures. The closeout 
form will ask recipients to aggregate their cumulative progress toward 
program priority areas identified in their quarterly performance 
progress reports (PPRs), namely stakeholders engaged, broadband 
conferences attended, staff hired, contracts executed, governance 
meetings held, outreach materials disseminated, and overall progress 
toward FirstNet-determined data collection activities. Recipients will 
also be asked to report on their cumulative expenditures throughout the 
period of performance in each object class category, including 
personnel, fringe, travel, equipment, materials/supplies, contractual, 
construction, other, and indirect costs.
    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 obtain the approval for 
the standard three years.

II. Method of Collection

    Paper format.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: None.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission; new collection.
    Affected Public: State, regional, local, and tribal government 
organizations.
    Frequency: Once (at the end of the period of performance).
    Number of Respondents: 54.
    Average Time per Response: Final closeout report, 25 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,350 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $52,623.

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.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Lead, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016-03139 Filed 2-16-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-06-P

Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 31 / Wednesday, February 17, 2016 / Notices 8049

ADDRESSES: Comments on the taking for subsistence uses, and if the use of impact and vibratory pile driving,
applications should be addressed to permissible methods of taking and including installation and removal of
Jolie Harrison, Chief, Permits and requirements pertaining to the steel, concrete, and timber piles.
Conservation Division, Office of mitigation, monitoring and reporting of
Information Solicited
Protected Resources, National Marine such taking are set forth.
Fisheries Service. Physical comments NMFS has defined ‘‘negligible Interested persons may submit
should be sent to 1315 East-West impact’’ in 50 CFR 216.103 as ‘‘an information, suggestions, and comments
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 and impact resulting from the specified concerning the Navy’s request (see
electronic comments should be sent to activity that cannot be reasonably ADDRESSES). NMFS will consider all
ITP.Laws@noaa.gov. expected to, and is not reasonably likely information, suggestions, and comments
Instructions: NMFS is not responsible to, adversely affect the species or stock related to the request during the
for comments sent by any other method, through effects on annual rates of development of proposed regulations
to any other address or individual, or recruitment or survival.’’ Except with governing the incidental taking of
received after the end of the comment respect to certain activities not pertinent marine mammals by the Navy, if
period. Comments received here, the MMPA defines ‘‘harassment’’ appropriate.
electronically, including all as: ‘‘any act of pursuit, torment, or Dated: February 11, 2016.
attachments, must not exceed a 25- annoyance which (i) has the potential to Perry F. Gayaldo,
megabyte file size. Attachments to injure a marine mammal or marine Deputy Director, Office of Protected
electronic comments will be accepted in mammal stock in the wild [Level A Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
Microsoft Word or Excel or Adobe PDF harassment]; or (ii) has the potential to [FR Doc. 2016–03213 Filed 2–16–16; 8:45 am]
file formats only. All comments disturb a marine mammal or marine
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
received are a part of the public record mammal stock in the wild by causing
and will generally be posted to the disruption of behavioral patterns,
Internet at www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/ including, but not limited to, migration, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
permits/incidental/research.htm breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or
without change. All personal identifying sheltering [Level B harassment].’’ National Telecommunications and
information (e.g., name, address) Summary of Request Information Administration
voluntarily submitted by the commenter
On January 19, 2016, NMFS received Proposed Information Collection;
may be publicly accessible. Do not
an adequate and complete application Comment Request; State and Local
submit confidential business
from the Navy requesting authorization Implementation Grant Program
information or otherwise sensitive or
for take of marine mammals incidental Closeout Documentation
protected information. to waterfront construction conducted by
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben the Navy. The requested regulations AGENCY: National Telecommunications
Laws, Office of Protected Resources, would be valid for five years, from July and Information Administration,
NMFS, (301) 427–8401. 12, 2017, through July 11, 2022. The Commerce.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Navy plans to conduct work necessary ACTION: Notice.
to maintain existing waterfront SUMMARY: The Department of
Availability
structures as well as to construct new Commerce, as part of its continuing
An electronic copy of the Navy’s structures at Naval Submarine Base effort to reduce paperwork and
application may be obtained by visiting Kings Bay, GA (NSB Kings Bay). The respondent burden, invites the general
the Internet at: www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/ proposed action may incidentally public and other Federal agencies to
permits/incidental/construction.htm. expose marine mammals occurring in take this opportunity to comment on
The Navy is concurrently releasing a the vicinity to elevated levels of proposed and/or continuing information
draft Environmental Assessment, underwater sound, thereby resulting in collections, as required by the
prepared pursuant to requirements of incidental take, by Level B harassment Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
the National Environmental Policy Act, only. Therefore, the Navy requests
for the conduct of the construction DATES: Written comments must be
authorization to incidentally take
projects. A copy of the draft EA, which marine mammals. submitted on or before April 18, 2016.
would also support our proposed ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments
rulemaking under the MMPA, is Specified Activities to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental
available at the same Web site. To ensure the Navy can continue its Paperwork Clearance Officer,
mission of supporting the Fleet Ballistic Department of Commerce, Room 6616,
Background Missile System and Trident Submarine 14th and Constitution Avenue NW.,
Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16 Program, the Navy proposes to repair Washington, DC 20230 (or via the
U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) directs the Secretary (including direct repairs and repairs by Internet at jjessup@doc.gov).
of Commerce (Secretary) to allow, upon component replacement) in-water FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
request, the incidental, but not structures at NSB Kings Bay, construct Requests for additional information or
intentional, taking of small numbers of a new Transit Protection System copies of the information collection
marine mammals by U.S. citizens who Operational Support Facility, and instruments and instructions should be
engage in a specified activity (other than extend the existing Layberth Pier. These sent to Michael Dame,
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

commercial fishing) if certain findings repairs, upgrades, and new construction Telecommunications Policy Specialist,
are made and regulations are issued. would (1) address critical damage and Office of Public Safety Communications,
Incidental taking shall be allowed if mission and safety requirements, (2) National Telecommunications and
NMFS finds that the taking will have a limit further deterioration and increase Information Administration, U.S.
negligible impact on the species or the useful life of the structures, and/or Department of Commerce, 1401
stock(s) affected and will not have an (3) upgrade infrastructure to meet Constitution Avenue NW., Room 4078,
unmitigable adverse impact on the requirements of new submarine Washington, DC 20230 (or via email at
availability of the species or stock(s) for technology. Construction will include mdame@ntia.doc.gov).

VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:05 Feb 16, 2016 Jkt 238001 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\17FEN1.SGM 17FEN1

8050 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 31 / Wednesday, February 17, 2016 / Notices

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Specifically, the Act requires FirstNet to will also be asked to report on their
consult with state, regional, tribal, and cumulative expenditures throughout the
I. Abstract
local governments about the distribution period of performance in each object
The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job and expenditure of any amounts class category, including personnel,
Creation Act of 2012 (Act, Pub. L. 112– required to carry out its responsibilities, fringe, travel, equipment, materials/
96, 126 Stat. 156 (2012)) was signed by including (i) The construction of a core supplies, contractual, construction,
the President on February 22, 2012. The network and any radio access network other, and indirect costs.
Act meets a long-standing priority of the build-out; (ii) placement of towers; (iii) NTIA will use the collection of
Administration, as well as a critical coverage areas of the network; (iv) information to ensure that SLIGP grant
national infrastructure need, to create a adequacy of hardware, security, recipients are effectively monitored and
single, interoperable, nationwide public reliability, and resiliency requirements; evaluated against the core purposes of
safety broadband network (NPSBN) that (v) assignment of priority to local users the program established by the Act. The
will, for the first time, allow police and selection of entities seeking publication of this notice allows NTIA
officers, fire fighters, emergency medical network access; and (vi) training needs to begin the process to obtain the
service professionals, and other public of local users. approval for the standard three years.
safety officials to effectively Additionally, the Act specifies that
communicate with each other across these required consultations are to occur II. Method of Collection
agencies and jurisdictions. Public safety between FirstNet and the single point of
workers have long been hindered in contact that the state was required to Paper format.
their ability to respond in a crisis designate in its application for grant III. Data
situation because of incompatible funds under SLIGP or that the governor
communications networks and often has since designated. Thus, progress in OMB Control Number: None.
outdated communications equipment. meeting FirstNet’s responsibilities Form Number(s): None.
The Act establishes the First Responder under the Act, including its required Type of Review: Regular submission;
Network Authority (FirstNet) as an consultations, is inextricably linked to new collection.
independent authority within NTIA and SLIGP. FirstNet must rely on NTIA to Affected Public: State, regional, local,
authorizes it to take all actions utilize SLIGP as the principal means to
necessary to ensure the design, and tribal government organizations.
facilitate its required consultations. At
construction, and operation of the the same time, without funding Frequency: Once (at the end of the
NPSBN, based on a single, national assistance from SLIGP, the states would period of performance).
network architecture. lack the resources to consult effectively Number of Respondents: 54.
FirstNet is responsible for, at a with FirstNet and provide it with Average Time per Response: Final
minimum, ensuring nationwide information needed for it to proceed closeout report, 25 hours.
standards for the use of and access to with the design and construction of a Estimated Total Annual Burden
the network; issuing open, transparent, NPSBN in an effective and timely
and competitive requests for proposals Hours: 1,350 hours.
manner, as required by the Act.
(RFPs) to build, operate, and maintain SLIGP recipients’ periods of Estimated Total Annual Cost to
the network; encouraging these RFPs to performance will end either on Public: $52,623.
leverage, to the maximum extent December 31, 2017, January 31, 2018, or IV. Request for Comments
economically desirable, existing February 28, 2018, depending on when
commercial wireless infrastructure to the award was made. Following the Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
speed deployment of the network; and award end date, grantees will be the proposed collection of information
overseeing contracts with non-federal required to complete grant closeout is necessary for the proper performance
entities to build, operate, and maintain activities within 90 days. The purpose of the functions of the agency, including
the network. of closeout is to capture a final account whether the information shall have
The Act also charges NTIA with of grantee activities and how these practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
establishing the State and Local activities contributed to overall program agency’s estimate of the burden
Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP) goals. To ensure effective grant (including hours and cost) of the
to assist state, regional, tribal, and local oversight and management, SLIGP proposed collection of information; (c)
jurisdictions with identifying, planning, developed a closeout report form for ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
and implementing the most efficient recipients to complete as part of post- clarity of the information to be
and effective means to use and integrate award monitoring and closeout collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
the infrastructure, equipment, and other activities at the end of the period of burden of the collection of information
architecture associated with the NPSBN performance. The closeout form serves on respondents, including through the
to satisfy the wireless broadband and as a summary of grant-funded recipient use of automated collection techniques
data services needs of their activities over the entire award period or other forms of information
jurisdictions. The SLIGP program office and ensures that recipients comply with technology.
awarded $116.5 million in grant funds all necessary closeout procedures. The Comments submitted in response to
to 54 active state and territorial closeout form will ask recipients to this notice will be summarized and/or
recipients between July 2013 and June aggregate their cumulative progress included in the request for OMB
2014. toward program priority areas identified
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

approval of this information collection;
Moreover, the Act’s framework in their quarterly performance progress they will also become a matter of public
contemplates that FirstNet will reports (PPRs), namely stakeholders record.
coordinate its activities with state, engaged, broadband conferences
regional, tribal, and local governments attended, staff hired, contracts executed, Sheleen Dumas,
and imposes a statutory requirement governance meetings held, outreach Departmental PRA Lead, Office of the Chief
that FirstNet consult with these entities materials disseminated, and overall Information Officer.
as it takes all actions necessary to build, progress toward FirstNet-determined [FR Doc. 2016–03139 Filed 2–16–16; 8:45 am]
deploy, and operate the NPSBN. data collection activities. Recipients BILLING CODE 3510–06–P

VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:05 Feb 16, 2016 Jkt 238001 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\17FEN1.SGM 17FEN1

Document Created: 2016-02-17 01:16:12
Document Modified: 2016-02-17 01:16:12

Category		Regulatory Information
Collection		Federal Register
sudoc Class		AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106:
Publisher		Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
Section		Notices
Action		Notice.
Dates		Written comments must be submitted on or before April 18, 2016.
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 [email protected]).
FR Citation		81 FR 8049

81 FR 8049 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; State and Local Implementation Grant Program Closeout Documentation

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCENational Telecommunications and Information Administration

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 31 (February 17, 2016)

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and Information Administration