[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 50 (Tuesday, March 16, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13060-13062]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-6390]
[[Page 13059]]
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Part III
Department of Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
_______________________________________________________________________
Public Telecommunications Facilities Program: Closing Date; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 50 / Tuesday, March 16, 1999 /
Notices
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
[Docket No. 990302059-9059-01]
RIN 0660-ZA07
Public Telecommunications Facilities Program: Closing Date
AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of funds.
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SUMMARY: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA), U.S. Department of Commerce, announces the solicitation of
applications for a grant for the Pan-Pacific Education and
Communications Experiments by Satellite (PEACESAT) Program.
Applications for the PEACESAT Program grant will compete for funds from
the Public Broadcasting, Facilities, Planning and Construction Funds
account. An announcement regarding the submission of applications for
the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) which is also
funded from this account, was published in the Federal Register on
November 6, 1998.
Applicants for grants for the PEACESAT Program must file their
applications on or before April 15, 1999. NTIA anticipates making the
grant award by September 30, 1999. NTIA shall not be liable for any
proposal preparation costs.
DATE: Applications for the PEACESAT Program grant must be received on
or before 5:00 p.m. on April 15, 1999. Applicants sending applications
by the United States Postal Service or commercial delivery services
must ensure that the carrier will be able to guarantee delivery of the
application by the Closing Date and Time. NTIA will not accept mail
delivery of applications posted on the Closing Date or later and
received after the above deadline. However, if an application is
received after the Closing Date due to (1) carrier error, when the
carrier accepted the package with a guarantee for delivery by the
Closing Date, or (2) significant weather delays or natural disasters,
NTIA will, upon receipt of proper documentation, consider the
application as having been received by the deadline. Applicants
submitting applications by hand delivery are notified that, due to
security procedures in the Department of Commerce, all packages must be
cleared by the Department's security office. The security office is
located in Room 1874, located at Entrance No. 10 on the 15th St. NW
side of the building.
ADDRESSES: To submit completed applications, or send any other
correspondence, write to: NTIA/PTFP, Room H-4625, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
20230.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Cooperman Acting Director,
Public Broadcasting Division, telephone: (202) 482-5802; fax: (202)
482-2156.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Application Forms and Requirements
Funding for the PEACESAT Program is provided pursuant to Pub. L.
105-277, ``The Department of Commerce and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 1999.'' Pub. L. 105-277 provides that
``notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Pan-Pacific Education
and Communications Experiments by Satellite (PEACESAT) Program is
eligible to compete for Public Broadcasting Facilities, Planning and
Construction funds.'' The PEACESAT Program was authorized under Pub. L.
100-584 (102 Stat. 2970) and also Pub. L. 101-555 (104 Stat. 2758) to
acquire satellite communications services to provide educational,
medical, and cultural needs of Pacific Basin communities. The PEACESAT
Program has been operational since 1971 and has received funding from
NTIA for support of the project since 1988.
Pub. L. 105-277 appropriated $21 million for this account to be
awarded for Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) grants
and for PEACESAT Program grants. The solicitation notice for the PTFP
Program was published in the Federal Register on November 6, 1998 (63
FR 60191). Applications submitted in response to this solicitation for
PEACESAT applications are not subject to the requirements of the
November 6, 1998 Notice and are exempt from the PTFP regulations at 15
CFR part 2301. NTIA anticipates making a single award for approximately
$450,000 for the PEACESAT Program in FY1999.
NTIA requests that each applicant for a PEACESAT Program grant
supply one (1) original signed application and five (5) copies, unless
doing so would present a financial hardship, in which case the
applicant may submit one (1) original and two (2) copies of the
application. The application form consists of the Standard Form 424
Application for Federal Assistance; Standard Form 424A Budget
Information--Non-Construction Programs; Standard Form 424 B,
Assurances; Standard Form CD-511 Certification; and Standard Form LLL,
Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable). These requirements
are subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act and have been approved by
the Office of Management and Budget under control numbers 0348-0043,
0348-0044, 0348-0040 and 0348-0046.
Applicants are not required to respond to a collection of
information sponsored by the Federal Government, and the government may
not conduct or sponsor this collection, unless it displays a currently
valid OMB control number or if we fail to provide you with this notice.
Eligible applicants will include any for-profit or non-profit
organization, public or private entity, other than an agency or
division of the Federal government. Individuals are not eligible to
apply for the PEACESAT Program funds.
Grant recipients under this program will not be required to provide
matching funds toward the total project cost.
Applicants are hereby notified that any equipment or products
authorized to be purchased with funding provided under this program
must be American-made to the maximum extent feasible.
The Fly America Act requires that Federal travelers and others
performing U.S. Government-financed foreign air travel must use U.S.
flag air carriers, to the extent that service by such carriers is
available. Foreign air carriers may be used only when a U.S. flag air
carrier is unavailable, or use of U.S. flag air carrier service will
not accomplish the agency's mission.
Applicants should note that they must comply with the provisions of
Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs.'' The Executive Order requires applicants for financial
assistance under this program to file a copy of their application with
the Single Points of Contact (SPOC) of all states relevant to the
project. Applicants are required to provide a copy of their completed
application to the appropriate SPOC on or before April 15, 1999.
Applicants may be required to submit Name Check forms (Form CD-346)
which may be used to ascertain background information on key
individuals associated with potential grantees as part of the
application, per Department Pre-Award Administrative Requirements and
Policies.
All primary applicants must submit a completed Form CD-511,
``Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other
Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace Requirements and
Lobbying,'' and the
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following explanations are hereby provided:
(1) Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension. Prospective
participants (as defined at 15 CFR Part 26, Section 105) are subject to
15 CFR Part 26, ``Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension'' and the
related section of the certification form prescribed above applies;
(2) Drug Free Workplace. Grantees (as defined at 15 CFR part 26,
Section 605) are subject to 15 CFR part 26, subpart F, ``Government-
wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants)'' and the related
section of the certification form prescribed above applies;
(3) Anti-lobbying. Persons (as defined at 15 CFR part 28, Section
105) are subject to the lobbying provisions of 31 U.S.C. 1352,
``Limitation on use of appropriated funds to influence certain Federal
contracting and financial transactions,'' and the lobbying section of
the certification form prescribed above applies to applicants/bidders
for grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts for more than
$100,000, and loans and loan guarantees for more than $150,000, or the
single family maximum mortgage limit for affected programs, whichever
is greater; and
(4) Anti-lobbying Disclosures. Any applicant that has paid or will
pay for lobbying using any funds must submit an SF-LLL, ``Disclosure of
Lobbying Activities,'' (OMB Control Number 0348-0046) as required under
15 CFR part 28, Appendix B.
Recipients shall require applicants/bidders for subgrants,
contracts, subcontracts, or other lower tier covered transactions at
any tier under the grant award to submit, if applicable, a completed
Form CD-512, ``Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension,
Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier Covered Transactions
and Lobbying'' and disclosure form, SF-LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying
Activities.'' Form CD-512 is intended for the use of recipients and
should not be transmitted to the Department. SF-LLL submitted by any
tier recipient or subrecipient should be submitted to the Department in
accordance with the instructions contained in the award document.
If an application is selected for funding, the Department of
Commerce has no obligation to provide any additional future funding in
connection with that award. Renewal of an award to increase funding or
extend the period of performance is at the total discretion of the
Department.
Recipients and subrecipients are subject to all Federal laws and
Federal and Department policies, regulations, and procedures applicable
to Federal assistance awards. In addition, unsatisfactory performance
by the applicant under prior Federal awards may result in the
application not being considered for funding.
If applicants incur any costs prior to an award being made, they do
so solely at their own risk of not being reimbursed by the Government.
Notwithstanding any verbal or written assurance that they have
received, there is no obligation on the part of the Department to cover
preaward costs.
No award of Federal funds shall be made to an applicant who has an
outstanding delinquent Federal debt until either: (1) The delinquent
account is paid in full; (2) a negotiated repayment schedule is
established and at least one payment is received, or (3) other
arrangements satisfactory to the Department are made.
Applicants are reminded that a false statement on the application
may be grounds for denial or termination of funds and grounds for
possible punishment by a fine or imprisonment as provided in 18 U.S.C.
1001.
II. Scope of Project and Eligible Costs
Projects funded pursuant to this Notice are intended to support the
PEACESAT Program's acquisition of satellite communications to service
Pacific Basin communities and to manage the operations of this network.
Allowable costs incurred under approved projects shall be
determined in accordance with applicable federal cost principles, i.e.
OMB Circular A-21, A-87, A-122, or 48 CFR part 31, as applicable. If
included in the approved project budget, NTIA will allow costs for
personnel, fringe benefits, travel, consultants and other contractual
services, supplies, and other costs which are reasonable and necessary
to manage the operation of a satellite communications network.
Communications and computer equipment costs are eligible as necessary
in order to provide communications services to meet the education,
medical, and cultural needs of the Pacific Basin communities. The costs
allowable under this Notice are not subject to the limitation on costs
contained in the November 6, 1998 Notice regarding the PTFP Program.
The total dollar amount of indirect costs proposed in an
application must not exceed the indirect costs rate negotiated and
approved by a cognizant federal agency or 100 percent of the total
proposed direct cost dollar amount in the application, whichever is
less.
III. Notice of Applications Received
NTIA will publish a notice in the Federal Register listing all
applications received in response to this notice. Listing an
application in such a notice merely acknowledges receipt of an
application to compete for funding with other applications. Publication
does not preclude subsequent return or disapproval of the application,
nor does it assure that the application will be funded. The notice will
also include a request for comments on the applications from any
interested party.
IV. Evaluation Process
Each eligible application will be reviewed by a panel of outside
reviewers who have demonstrated expertise in the programmatic and
technological aspects of the application. The review panel will
evaluate applications according to the following evaluation criteria
and will provide written ratings of each application. The first three
criteria, (1) Meeting the Purposes of the PEACESAT Program, (2) Extent
of Need for the Project, and (3) Plan of Operation for the Project, are
each worth 25 points. Criterion (4) Budget and Cost Effectiveness is
worth 20 points and Criterion (5) Quality of Key Personnel is worth 5
points.
Criteria 1. Meeting the purposes of the PEACESAT Program (i) how
well the proposal meets the objectives of the PEACESAT Program and (ii)
how the objectives of the proposal further the purposes of the PEACESAT
Program.
Criteria 2. Extent of need for the project. Determine the extent to
which the project meets the needs of the PEACESAT Program, including
consideration of: (i) The needs addressed by the project; (ii) how the
applicant identified those needs; (iii) how those needs will be met by
the project; and (iv) the benefits to be gained by meeting those needs.
Criteria 3. Plan of operation for the project, including (i) The
quality of the design of the project; (ii) the extent to which the plan
of management is effective and ensures proper and efficient
administration of the project; (iii) how well the objectives of the
project relate to the purpose of the program; (iv) the quality of the
applicant's plan to use its resources and personnel to achieve each
objective; and (v) how the applicant will ensure that project
participants who are otherwise eligible to participate are selected
without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, or
handicapping condition.
Criteria 4. Budget and cost effectiveness. To determine the extent
to
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which: (i) The budget is adequate to support the project; and (ii)
costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives of the project.
Criteria 5. Quality of key personnel applicant plans to use on the
project, including: (i) The qualifications of the project director (if
one is to be used); (ii) the qualifications of each of the other key
personnel to be used in the project; (iii) the time that each person
will commit to the project; and (iv) how the applicant, as part of its
nondiscriminatory employment practices, will ensure that its personnel
are selected for employment without regard to race, color, national
origin, gender, age, or handicapping condition. In this section,
qualifications refer to the experience and training in fields related
to the objectives of the project; and any other qualifications that
pertain to the quality of the project.
V. Selection Process
The program staff prepares summary recommendations for the Director
of the Public Broadcasting Division. These recommendations include
outside reviewers' ratings and will incorporate analysis based on the
degree to which a proposed project meets the program purpose and cost
eligibility as described in Section II of this Notice. Staff
recommendations also consider (1) project impact, (2) the cost/benefit
of a project and (3) whether review panels have consistently applied
the evaluation criteria. The analysis of program staff will be provided
to the Director of the Public Broadcasting Division in writing.
The Director will recommend the funding order of the applications
for the PTFP and PEACESAT Programs taking into consideration the
outside reviewers' ratings, the summary recommendations prepared by
program staff, and the relative rating of the PEACESAT and PTFP
applications. The Director will present recommendations to the Office
of Telecommunications and Information Applications (OTIA) Associate
Administrator for review and approval. The Director recommends the
funding order for applications in three categories: ``Recommended for
Funding,'' ``Recommended for Funding if Funds Available,'' and ``Not
Recommended for Funding.'' The selection factors retained by the
Director, OTIA Associate Administrator, and the Assistant Secretary for
Telecommunications and Information for the PTFP Program are described
in 15 CFR 2301.18. These sections factors will also be used, as
applicable, for selection of applications for funding for the PEACESAT
Program.
Upon review and approval by the OTIA Associate Administrator, the
Director's recommendations will then be presented to the Selection
Official, the NTIA Administrator. The NTIA Administrator selects the
applications to be negotiated for possible grant award taking into
consideration the outside reviewers rating, the Director's
recommendations and the degree to which the slate of applications,
taken as a whole, satisfies the PTFP and PEACESAT Program's stated
purposes. These applications are negotiated between NTIA staff and the
applicant. The negotiations are intended to resolve whatever
differences might exist between the applicant's original request and
what NTIA proposes to fund. During negotiations, some applications may
be dropped from the proposed slate, due to lack of Federal
Communications Commission licensing authority, an applicant's inability
to make adequate assurances or certifications, or other reasons.
Negotiation of an application does not ensure that a final award will
be made. When the negotiations are completed, the Director recommends
final selections to the NTIA Administrator applying the same factors as
listed above. The Administrator then makes the final award selections
from the negotiated applications taking into consideration the
Director's recommendations and the degree to which the slate of
applications, taken as a whole, satisfies the stated purposes for the
PTFP Program in 15 CFR 2301.1(a) and (c) and for the PEACESAT Program.
VI. Project Period
Any project awarded pursuant to this notice will be for a one-year
period.
Authority: Pub. L. 105-277, ``The Department of Commerce and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999.''
Dr. Bernadette McGuire-Rivera,
Associate Administrator, Office of Telecommunications and Information
Applications.
[FR Doc. 99-6390 Filed 3-15-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P
