FY 2011
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Federal Agency Name: National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Department of Commerce Funding Opportunity Title: Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) Announcement Type: Initial Announcement-Notice of Closing Date for Solicitation of Applications Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.550-Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) Program Authority: 47 U.S.C. §§ 390-393, 397-399(b) Dates: Completed applications must be received at the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program office no later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on Thursday, March 17, 2011 “the Closing Date.” Funding Opportunity Description: The Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) assists, through matching grants, in the planning and construction of public telecommunications facilities in order to:
Amount to be Awarded: Issuance of grants is subject to the availability of FY 2011 funds. Funding Instrument: Grant Eligible Applicants: To apply for and receive a PTFP Construction or Planning Grant, an applicant must be: (a) a public or noncommercial educational broadcast station; (b) a noncommercial telecommunications entity; (c) a system of public telecommunications entities; (d) a non-profit foundation, corporation, institution, or association organized primarily for educational or cultural purposes; or (e) a state, local, or Indian tribal government (or agency thereof), or a political or special purpose subdivision of a state. Cost Sharing: Cost sharing is required. Limitation on Number of Applications: None |
FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY(FFO)
Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP)
Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 Grant Cycle
1. Eligible Projects and Priorities
2. Radio Broadcasting
3. Television Broadcasting
4. Nonbroadcast (Distance Learning) Projects
Priority | |||
Construction Applications | |||
First Radio or TV signal in a community with local origination | 75 percent | 75 percent | |
First Radio or TV signal in a community without local origination | 75 percent | 75 percent | |
Applicant's second Radio or TV facility in a community; (e.g., Upgrade of translator to repeater; Power/coverage upgrades) |
50 percent | 50 percent | |
All other Radio and Television projects | 50 percent | 50 percent | |
All Nonbroadcast projects | 50 percent | 50 percent | |
Planning Applications | |||
All Radio, TV and Nonbroadcast Applications | 75 percent | 75 percent | |
Any applicant can provide justification requesting up to 75 percent for a Construction project or up to 100 percent for a Planning project. The justification will be evaluated by PTFP. |
Cost Sharing is not an evaluation criterion. An applicant’s proposed cost sharing is not one of the evaluation criteria which determines whether a grant is awarded. If the proposed cost sharing is above the funding levels discussed in Section III, the justification provided for the cost sharing is evaluated to determine the level of Federal participation in any eventual award.
Lynn Chadwick lchadwick@ntia.doc.gov (202) 482-8338 |
Projects from states in the Rocky Mt. area and the states/territories in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. American Samoa, Arizona, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Marianas Protectorate, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Puerto Rico, Utah, Virgin Islands, and Wyoming |
Larry Dyer ldyer@ntia.doc.gov (202) 482-1762 |
Projects from states in the Great
Plains, as well as Alaska and California. Alaska, California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin |
Brian Gibbons bgibbons@ntia.doc.gov (202) 482-6094 |
Projects from states along the
Gulf Coast and in the Southeast, as well as from Washington State. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington State. |
Walter Sheppard
wsheppard@ntia.doc.gov (202) 482-1949 |
Projects from states in New England, |
Applicants may also contact: | |
William Cooperman wcooperman@ntia.doc.gov (202) 482-5802 |
Director |
Charles Mellone cmellone@ntia.doc.gov (310) 456-1357 |
Chief Engineer Equipment questions from all applicants |
NTIAHelpdesk@ntia.doc.gov (202) 482-4631 |
Contact for electronic access problems. |
Frequently Asked Questions about PTFP grants and applications are answered online at www.ntia.doc.gov/ptfp. | |
Questions regarding Department of Commerce grant policies may be directed to: | |
Joyce Brigham Joyce.brigham@nist.gov (301) 975-6329 |
NIST/GAMD Grants Officer |
FOOTNOTES
[1] NTIA reminds applicants, however, that under Section 2301.12(h) of the PTFP Rules “[n]o grant will be awarded until confirmation has been received from the FCC that any necessary authorization will be issued.”
[2] Priority 3 projects may add local origination capability to an existing repeater facility or construct a new fully staffed station.
[3] The FCC selected the hybrid AM and FM IBOC systems that the National Radio Systems Committee tested as de facto standards for interim digital operation. See Digital Audio Broadcasting Systems and Their Impact on the Terrestrial Radio Broadcast Service, First Report and Order, MM Docket No. 99-325, 17 F.C.C. Rcd. 19990 (2002).
[4] See Digital Audio Broadcasting Systems and Their Impact on the Terrestrial Radio Broadcast Service, Second Report and Order, First Order on Reconsideration and Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (DAB Second Report and Order), 22 F.C.C. Rcd. 10344, 10357 (2007) (FCC Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking).
[5] Priority 2 is for “urgent replacement of obsolete or worn out equipment at ‘essential stations’ (i.e., existing broadcast stations that provide either the only public telecommunications signal or the only locally originated public telecommunications signal to a geographical area).” Priority 4A includes projects “to replace urgently needed equipment from public broadcasting stations that do not meet the Priority 2 criteria because they do not provide either the only public telecommunications signal or the only locally originated public telecommunications signal to a geographic area.” 15 C.F.R. 2301.4.
[6] Systems requested for a radio station’s master control would be to power technical facilities required to keep the station master control on air, including air-conditioning limited to those technical facilities.
[7] Beginning in FY 2000, NTIA divided the Broadcast Other category into several Subpriorities. During the remainder of the decade, NTIA periodically revised its policies regarding digital television conversion applications to reflect changing Congressional mandates and FCC requirements. During the period 1997-2010, PTFP awarded $204 million in grants to assist in the digital conversion of approximately 308 public television stations by funding over 140 tower-related projects, over 225 digital transmitters and antennas, as well as 148 studio-transmitter links and intercity microwave relays, encoders, video servers, satellite interconnect, master control equipment, cameras and related production equipment.
[8] During the recent FY 2010 grant round, PTFP awarded only one transmission project to upgrade a full-power station.
[9] 15 C.F.R. 2301.4.
[10] Priority 2 is for “urgent replacement of obsolete or worn out equipment at ‘essential stations’ (i.e., existing broadcast stations that provide either the only public telecommunications signal or the only locally originated public telecommunications signal to a geographical area).” Priority 4A includes projects “to replace urgently needed equipment from public broadcasting stations that do not meet the Priority 2 criteria because they do not provide either the only public telecommunications signal or the only locally originated public telecommunications signal to a geographic area.” 15 C.F.R. 2301.4.
[11] 47 U.S.C. § 390(1).
[12] Priority 1B “includes projects such as increases in tower height and/or power of existing stations and construction of translators, cable networks, and repeater transmitters that will result in providing public telecommunications services to previously unserved areas.” 15 C.F.R. 2301.4(b)(1)(ii).
[13] FCC Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The Notice proposed that stations operating on out-of-core channels 52-69 file digital displacement applications to move to an in-core channel by June 30, 2011 and cease analog broadcasts by December 31, 2011.
[14] 47 U.S.C. § 390(1).
[15] The Broadcast Other Cases category includes projects “ related to the conversion of public broadcasting facilities to advanced digital technologies.” 15 C.F.R. 2301.4(b)(6).
[16]Section 3009 uses the definition of rural communities as defined in Section 610(b)(2) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1937 (7 U.S.C. § 950bb(b)(2)) (“any area of the United States that is not contained in an incorporated city or town with a population in excess of 20,000 inhabitants”).
[17] 74 Fed. Reg. 22402.
[18] Upgrade program guidelines are posted on the NTIA web site at www.ntia.doc.gov/lptv/index.html.
[19]Systems requested for a television station’s master control would be to power technical facilities required to keep the station master control on air, including air-conditioning limited to those technical facilities.
[20] See Dell Inc. and LG Electronics USA, Inc. Request for Waiver of Section 15.117 of the Commission’s Rules, MB Docket 10-111, 25 F.C.C. Rcd. 9172 (July 15, 2010).
[21] PTFP considers money to be obligated when the applicant enters into any sort of binding commitment to spend the money. This includes the formal acceptance of a bid offering or the issuance of a purchase order.
[22] Section 392(g) of the Communications Act states in part that “[i]f, within 10 years after completion of any project for construction of public telecommunications facilities with respect to which a grant has been made under this section—...(2) such facilities cease to be used primarily for the provision of public telecommunications services ... the United States shall be entitled to recover from the applicant or other owner of such facilities the amount bearing the same ratio to the value of such facilities...as the amount of the Federal participation bore to the cost of construction of such facilities.” 47 U.S.C. § 392(g). The ten-year interest period starts at the conclusion of the PTFP grant award period.
[23]Another Federal Standard Form, 424C “Budget Information--Construction Programs,” is used for projects to construct highways, airports, etc. and is not used by PTFP.
[24]Another Federal Standard Form, 424D “Assurances for Construction Programs,” is used for projects to construct highways, airports, etc. and is not used by PTFP.