[Federal Register: November 20, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 225)]
[Notices]
[Page 70311-70315]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20no08-38]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Announcement of Grant Application Deadlines and Funding Levels
AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of solicitation of applications.
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SUMMARY: USDA Rural Development administers loan and grant programs
through the Rural Utilities Service. USDA Rural Development announces
the Public Television Digital Transition Grant Program application
window for fiscal year (FY) 2009. The FY 2008 funding for the Public
Television Station Digital Transition Grant Program was approximately
$5 million. This notice is being issued prior to passage of a final
appropriations bill, which may or may not provide funding for this
program, to allow time to submit
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proposals and give the Agency adequate time to process applications
within the current fiscal year. A Notice of Funding Availability will
be published announcing the funding levels, if any, for Public
Television Station Digital Transition grants once an appropriations
bill has been enacted. Expenses incurred in developing applications
will be at the applicant's risk.
DATES: You may submit completed applications for grants on paper or
electronically according to the following deadlines:
Paper copies must carry proof of shipping no later than
February 18, 2009 to be eligible for FY 2009 grant funding. Late
applications are not eligible for FY 2009 grant funding.
Electronic copies must be received by February 18, 2009 to
be eligible for FY 2009 grant funding. Late applications are not
eligible for FY 2009 grant funding.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain the application guide and materials for the
Public Television Station Digital Transition Grant Program via the
Internet at the following Web site: http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/.
You may also request the application guide and materials from USDA
Rural Development by contacting the appropriate individual listed in
section VII of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.
Submit completed paper applications for grants to the
Telecommunications Program, USDA Rural Development, 1400 Independence
Ave., SW., Room 2844, STOP 1550, Washington, DC 20250-1550.
Applications should be marked ``Attention: Director, Advanced Services
Division.''
Submit electronic grant applications to Grants.gov at the
following Web address: http://www.grants.gov/ (Grants.gov), and follow
the instructions you find on that Web site.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gary B. Allan, Chief, Universal
Services Branch, Advanced Services Division, Telecommunications
Program, USDA Rural Development, telephone: (202) 690-4493, fax: (202)
720-1051.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Overview
Federal Agency: Rural Utilities Service (RUS).
Funding Opportunity Title: Public Television Station Digital
Transition Grant Program.
Announcement Type: Initial announcement.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.861.
Dates: You may submit completed applications for grants on paper or
electronically according to the following deadlines:
Paper copies must carry proof of shipping no later than
February 18, 2009, to be eligible for FY 2009 grant funding. Late
applications are not eligible for FY 2009 grant funding.
Electronic copies must be received by February 18, 2009,
to be eligible for FY 2009 grant funding. Late applications are not
eligible for FY 2009 grant funding.
Items in Supplementary Information
I. Funding Opportunity: Brief introduction to the Public Television
Station Digital Transition Grant Program.
II. Award Information: Maximum amounts.
III. Eligibility Information: Who is eligible, what kinds of
projects are eligible, what criteria determine basic eligibility.
IV. Application and Submission Information: Where to get
application materials, what constitutes a completed application, how
and where to submit applications, deadlines, items that are eligible.
V. Application Review Information: Considerations and preferences,
scoring criteria, review standards, selection information.
VI. Award Administration Information: Award notice information,
award recipient reporting requirements.
VII. Agency Contacts: Web, phone, fax, e-mail, contact name.
I. Funding Opportunity
As part of the nation's transition to digital television, the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires all television
broadcasters to begin broadcasting using digital signals, and to cease
analog broadcasting, by February 17, 2009. While most urban public
television stations have successfully transitioned to digital, rural
public television stations are still lagging behind their urban
counterparts. For rural households the digital transition could bring
the end of over-the-air public television service. These rural
households are the focus of the USDA Rural Development Public
Television Station Digital Transition Grant Program.
Most applications to the Public Television Station Digital
Transition Grant Program have sought assistance towards the goal of
replicating analog coverage areas through transmitter and translator
transitions. The first priority has been to initiate digital
broadcasting from their main transmitters. As many stations have
transitioned their transmitters, the focus has shifted to power
upgrades and translators, as well as digital program production
equipment and multicasting and datacasting equipment. In FY 2008 awards
were made for a transmitter transition, transmitter power maximization,
translators, as well as master control and production equipment. When
compared with the first few years of the program, as the digital
transition progresses, more applications were received for translators
and master control and production equipment, than for transmitters.
Some stations may not achieve full analog parity in program management
and creation until after the February 2009 deadline. Continuation of
reliable public television service to all current patrons
understandably is still the focus for many broadcasters.
It is important for public television stations to be able to tailor
their programs and services (e.g., education services, public health,
homeland security, and local news) to the needs of their rural
constituents. If public television programming is lost, many school
systems may be left without educational programming needed for
curriculum compliance.
This notice has been formatted to conform to a policy directive
issued by the Office of Federal Financial Management (OFFM) of the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), published in the Federal
Register on June 23, 2003 (68 FR 37370). This Notice does not change
the Public Television Station Digital Transition Grant Program
regulation (7 CFR 1740).
II. Award Information
A. Available Funds
1. General. The Administrator will determine in a future Notice of
Funding Availability the amounts that are available for grants in FY
2009 under 7 CFR 1740.1.
2. Grants.
a. The amount available for grants for FY 2009 will be announced in
a future Notice of Funding Availability. Under 7 CFR 1740.2, the
maximum amount for grants under this program is $750,000 per public
television station per year.
b. Assistance instrument: Grant documents appropriate to the
project will be executed with successful applicants prior to any
advance of funds.
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B. Non-Renewal of Public Television Station Digital Transition Grants
Public Television Station Digital Transition grants cannot be
renewed. Award documents specify the term of each award, and USDA Rural
Development, in its sole discretion, may approve one extension of the
expiration date, provided that the Grantee notify USDA Rural
Development, in writing at least ten days prior to the expiration date,
of the reasons and need for an extension, together with a suggested,
revised expiration date.
III. Eligibility Information
A. Who is eligible for grants? (See 7 CFR 1740.3.)
1. Public television stations which serve rural areas are eligible
for Public Television Station Digital Transition Grants, regardless of
whether urban areas are additionally served. A public television
station is a noncommercial educational television broadcast station
that is qualified for Community Service Grants by the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting under section 396(k) of the Communications Act of
1934.
2. Individuals are not eligible for Public Television Station
Digital Transition Grant Program financial assistance directly.
B. What are the basic eligibility requirements for a project?
1. Grants shall be made to perform digital transitions of
television broadcasting serving rural areas. Grant funds may be used to
acquire, lease, and/or install facilities and software necessary to the
digital transition. Specific purposes include:
a. Digital transmitters, translators, and repeaters, including all
facilities required to initiate DTV broadcasting. All broadcast
facilities acquired with grant funds shall be capable of delivering
digital TV (DTV) programming and high-definition television (HDTV)
programming, at both the interim and final channel and power
authorizations. There is no limit to the number of transmitters or
translators that may be included in an application;
b. Power upgrades of existing DTV transmitter equipment, including
replacement of existing low-power digital transmitters with digital
transmitters capable of delivering the final authorized power level;
c. Studio-to-transmitter links;
d. Equipment to allow local control over digital content and
programming, including master control equipment;
e. Digital program production equipment, including cameras,
editing, mixing and storage equipment;
f. Multicasting and datacasting equipment;
g. Cost of the lease of facilities, if any, for up to three years;
and,
h. Associated engineering and environmental studies necessary to
implementation.
2. Matching contributions: There is no requirement for matching
funds in this program (see 7 CFR 1740.5).
3. To be eligible for a grant, the Project must not do any of the
following (see 7 CFR 1740.7):
a. Include funding for ongoing operations or for facilities that
will not be owned by the applicant, except for leased facilities as
provided above;
b. Include costs of salaries, wages, and employee benefits of
public television station personnel unless they are for construction or
installation of eligible facilities;
c. Have been funded by any other source; or
d. Include items bought or built prior to the application deadline
specified in this Notice of Solicitation of Applications.
C. See paragraph IV.B of this notice for a discussion of the items
that comprise a completed application. You may also refer to 7 CFR
1740.9 for completed grant application items.
IV. Application and Submission Information
A. Where to get application information. The application guide,
copies of necessary forms and samples, and the Public Television
Station Digital Transition Grant Program regulation are available from
these sources:
1. The Internet: http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/, or http://
www.grants.gov.
2. The USDA Rural Development Advanced Services Division, for paper
copies of these materials: (202) 690-4493.
B. What constitutes a completed application?
1. Detailed information on each item required can be found in the
Public Television Station Digital Transition Grant Program regulation
and application guide. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read and
utilize the application guide in addition to the regulation. This
Notice does not change the requirements for a completed application
specified in the program regulation. The program regulation and
application guide provide specific guidance on each of the items listed
and the application guide provides all necessary forms and sample
worksheets.
2. A completed application must include the following
documentation, studies, reports and information in form satisfactory to
USDA Rural Development. Applications should be prepared in conformance
with the provisions in 7 CFR part 1740, subpart A, and applicable USDA
regulations including 7 CFR parts 3015, 3016, and 3019. Applicants must
use the application guide for this program containing instructions and
all necessary forms, as well as other important information, in
preparing their application. Completed applications must include the
following:
a. An application for federal assistance, Standard Form 424.
b. An executive summary, not to exceed two pages, describing the
public television station, its service area and offerings, its current
digital transition status, and the proposed project.
c. Evidence of the applicant's eligibility to apply under this
Notice, proving that the applicant is a Public Television Station as
defined in this Notice, and that it is required by the FCC to perform
the digital transition.
d. A spreadsheet showing the total project cost, with a breakdown
of items sufficient to enable USDA Rural Development to determine
individual item eligibility.
e. A coverage contour map showing the digital television coverage
area of the application project. This map must show the counties (or
county) comprising the Core Coverage Area by shading and by name.
Partial counties included in the applicant's Core Coverage Area must be
identified as partial and must contain an attachment with the
applicant's estimate of the percentage that its coverage contour
comprises of the total area of the county (total area is available from
American Factfinder, referenced above). If the application is for a
translator, the coverage area may be estimated by the applicant through
computer modeling or some other reasonable method, and this estimate is
subject to acceptance by USDA Rural Development.
f. The applicant's own calculation of its Rurality score, supported
by a worksheet showing the population of its Core Coverage Area, and
the urban and rural populations within the Core Coverage Area. The data
source for the urban and rural components of that population must be
identified. If the application includes computations made by a
consultant or other organization outside the public television station,
the application shall state the details of that collaboration.
g. The applicant's own calculation of its Economic Need score,
supported by a worksheet showing the National School Lunch Program
eligibility levels for all school districts within the Core
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Coverage Area and averaging these eligibility percentages. The
application must include a statement from the state or local
organization that administers the NSLP program certifying the school
district scores used in the computations.
h. If applicable, a presentation not to exceed five pages
demonstrating the Critical Need for the project.
i. Evidence that the FCC has authorized the initiation of digital
broadcasting at the project sites. In the event that an FCC
construction permit has not been issued for one or more sites, USDA
Rural Development may include those sites in the grant, and make
advance of funds for that site conditional upon the submission of a
construction permit.
j. Compliance with other Federal statutes. The applicant must
provide evidence or certification that it is in compliance with all
applicable Federal statutes and regulations, including, but not limited
to the following:
(1) Executive Order (E.O.) 11246, Equal Employment Opportunity, as
amended by E.O. 11375 and as supplemented by regulations contained in
41 CFR part 60;
(2) Architectural barriers;
(3) Flood hazard area precautions;
(4) Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970;
(5) Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1998 (41 U.S.C. 701);
(6) E.O.s 12549 and 12689, Debarment and Suspension; and
(7) Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment (31 U.S.C. 1352).
k. Environmental impact and historic preservation. The applicant
must provide details of the digital transition's impact on the
environment and historic preservation, and comply with 7 CFR Part 1794,
which contains the Agency's policies and procedures for implementing a
variety of federal statutes, regulations, and executive orders
generally pertaining to the protection of the quality of the human
environment. This must be contained in a separate section entitled
``Environmental Impact of the Digital Transition,'' and must include
the Environmental Questionnaire/Certification, available from USDA
Rural Development, describing the impact of its digital transition.
Submission of the Environmental Questionnaire/Certification alone does
not constitute compliance with 7 CFR part 1794.
3. DUNS Number. As required by the OMB, all applicants for grants
must now supply a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System
(DUNS) number when applying. The Standard Form 424 (SF-424) contains a
field for you to use when supplying your DUNS number. Obtaining a DUNS
number costs nothing and requires a short telephone call to Dun and
Bradstreet. Please see the Public Television Station Digital
Transmitter Grant Program Web site or Grants.gov for more information
on how to obtain a DUNS number or how to verify your organization's
number.
C. How many copies of an application are required?
1. Applications submitted on paper: Submit the original application
and two (2) copies to USDA Rural Development.
2. Electronically submitted applications: The additional paper
copies for USDA Rural Development are not necessary if you submit the
application electronically through Grants.gov.
D. How and Where To Submit an Application
Grant applications may be submitted on paper or electronically.
1. Submitting Applications on Paper
a. Address paper applications for grants to the Telecommunications
Program, USDA Rural Development, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Room
2844, STOP 1550, Washington, DC 20250-1550. Applications should be
marked ``Attention: Director, Advanced Services Division.''
b. Paper applications must show proof of mailing or shipping
consisting of one of the following:
(i) A legibly dated postmark applied by the U.S. Postal Service;
(ii) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
USPS; or
(iii) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier.
c. Non-USPS-applied postage dating, i.e. dated postage meter
stamps, do not constitute proof of the date of mailing.
d. Due to screening procedures at the Department of Agriculture,
packages arriving via the USPS are irradiated, which can damage the
contents. USDA Rural Development encourages applicants to consider the
impact of this procedure in selecting their application delivery
method.
2. Electronically Submitted Applications
a. Applications will not be accepted via facsimile machine
transmission or electronic mail.
b. Electronic applications for grants will be accepted if submitted
through the Federal government's Grants.gov Web site at http://
www.grants.gov.
c. How to use Grants.gov:
(i) Navigate your Web browser to http://www.grants.gov.
(ii) Follow the instructions on that Web site to find grant
information.
(iii) Download a copy of the application package.
(iv) Complete the package off-line.
(v) Upload and submit the application via the Grants.gov Web site.
d. Grants.gov contains full instructions on all required passwords,
credentialing and software.
e. USDA Rural Development encourages applicants who wish to apply
through Grants.gov to submit their applications in advance of the
deadline. Difficulties encountered by applicants filing through
Grants.gov will not justify filing deadline extensions.
f. If a system problem occurs or you have technical difficulties
with an electronic application, please use the customer support
resources available at the Grants.gov Web site.
E. Deadlines
1. Paper applications must be postmarked and mailed, shipped, or
sent overnight no later than February 18, 2009 to be eligible for FY
2009 grant funding. Late applications are not eligible for FY 2009
grant funding.
2. Electronic grant applications must be received by February 18,
2009 to be eligible for FY 2009 funding. Late applications are not
eligible for FY 2009 grant funding.
V. Application Review Information
A. Criteria
1. Grant applications are scored competitively and subject to the
criteria listed below.
2. Grant application scoring criteria are detailed in 7 CFR 1740.8.
There are 100 points available, broken down as follows:
a. The Rurality of the Project (up to 50 points);
b. The Economic Need of the Project's Service Area (up to 25
points); and
c. The Critical Need for the project, and of the applicant,
including the benefits derived from the proposed service (up to 25
points).
B. Review Standards
1. All applications for grants must be delivered to USDA Rural
Development at the address and by the date specified in this notice to
be eligible for funding. USDA Rural Development will review each
application for conformance with the provisions of this part. USDA
Rural Development may contact the applicant for additional information
or clarification.
2. Incomplete applications as of the deadline for submission will
not be considered. If an application is
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determined to be incomplete, the applicant will be notified in writing
and the application will be returned with no further action.
3. Applications conforming with this part will be evaluated
competitively by a panel of USDA Rural Development employees selected
by the Utilities Programs Administrator, and will be awarded points as
described in the scoring criteria in 7 CFR 1740.8. Applications will be
ranked and grants awarded in rank order until all grant funds are
expended.
4. Regardless of the score an application receives, if USDA Rural
Development determines that the Project is technically or financially
infeasible, USDA Rural Development will notify the applicant, in
writing, and the application will be returned with no further action.
C. Scoring Guidelines
1. The applicant's self scores in Rurality and Economic Need will
be verified and, if necessary, corrected by USDA Rural Development.
2. The Critical Need score will be determined by USDA Rural
Development based on information presented in the application. This
score is intended to capture from the rural public's standpoint the
necessity and usefulness of the proposed project. This scoring category
will also recognize that some transition purchases are more essential
than others, so that first time transmitter transitions and power
upgrades of previously installed transmitters will receive scoring
advantages. Master control equipment is very important to a station's
operation and first time master control equipment will also get a high
priority. Local production equipment can be a high priority especially
if it produces an area's only local news or if the station has been
historically active in producing local programming. Translators always
deliver a great deal of rural benefit and a full digital conversion of
a translator will receive recognition in the project's critical need
score.
VI. Award Administration Information
A. Award Notices
USDA Rural Development recognizes that each funded project is
unique, and therefore may attach conditions to different projects'
award documents. The Agency generally notifies applicants whose
projects are selected for awards by faxing an award letter. USDA Rural
Development follows the award letter with a grant agreement that
contains all the terms and conditions for the grant. An applicant must
execute and return the grant agreement, accompanied by any additional
items required by the grant agreement.
B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
The items listed in the program regulation at 7 CFR 1740.9(j)
implement the appropriate administrative and national policy
requirements.
C. Performance Reporting
All recipients of Public Television Station Digital Transition
Grant Program financial assistance must provide annual performance
activity reports to USDA Rural Development until the project is
complete and the funds are expended. A final performance report is also
required; the final report may serve as the last annual report. The
final report must include an evaluation of the success of the project.
VII. Agency Contacts
A. Web site: http://www.usda.gov/ rus/. The Web site maintains up-
to-date resources and contact information for the Public Television
Station Digital Transition Grant Program.
B. Phone: 202-690-4493.
C. Fax: 202-720-1051.
D. Main point of contact: Gary B. Allan, Chief, Universal Services
Branch, Advanced Services Division, Telecommunications Program, USDA
Rural Development, telephone: (202) 690-4493, fax: (202) 720-1051.
October 28, 2008.
James M. Andrew,
Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. E8-27608 Filed 11-19-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-15-P