[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 235 (Thursday, December 6, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63373-63378]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-30172]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

[Docket Number 981203295-1272-06; CFDA: 11.552]
RIN 0660-ZA06


Technology Opportunities Program

AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of solicitation of grant applications.

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SUMMARY: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA) issues this Notice describing the conditions under which 
applications will be received by the Technology Opportunities Program 
(TOP) and how NTIA will select applications for funding, subject to the 
availability of Fiscal Year 2002 funds.
    The Bush Administration believes that new technologies and the 
deployment of high-speed networks are crucial to promoting America's 
economic growth and our nation's social well-being. The TOP program can 
play an important role in extending those priorities to underserved 
communities, through matching grants to state, local, and tribal 
governments and non-profit entities that demonstrate innovative uses of 
digital network technologies. TOP projects address specific challenges 
and realize opportunities for change in such areas as lifelong 
learning, community and economic development, government and public 
services, safety, health, culture, and the arts.

DATES: Complete applications for the Fiscal Year 2002 TOP grant program 
must be mailed or hand-carried to the address indicated below and 
received by NTIA no later than 8:00 P.M. EST, March 21, 2002. NTIA 
anticipates the processing and selection of applications for funding 
will require 6 months. NTIA expects to announce FY 2002 awards prior to 
September 30, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Completed applications must be mailed, shipped, or sent 
overnight express to:

Technology Opportunities Program
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Avenue, NW
HCHB, Room 4092
Washington, DC 20230

or hand-delivered to:

Technology Opportunities Program
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
HCHB, Room 1874
1401 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20230

Room 1874 is located at entrance #10 on 15th Street NW, between 
Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues.
    Materials needed to complete an application can be obtained 
electronically via TOP's Web site at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/top or by 
contacting the TOP office at 202-482-2048.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephen J. Downs, Director of the 
Technology Opportunities Program. Telephone: 202-482-2048; fax: 202-
501-5136; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Authority: NTIA issues this Notice subject to the appropriations 
made available under continuing resolution (Public Law 107-70). NTIA 
anticipates making grant awards provided that funding for TOP is 
continued beyond December 7, 2001, the expiration date of the 
current continuing resolution.

Eligible Organizations

    All non-profit entities (including, but not limited to, faith-based 
organizations, national organizations and associations, non-profit 
community-based organizations, non-profit health care providers, 
schools, libraries, museums, colleges, universities, public safety 
providers) and state, local, and tribal governments are eligible to 
apply.
    Although individuals and for-profit organizations are not eligible 
to apply, they are encouraged to participate as project partners.

Funding Availability

    Issuance of grants is subject to the availability of FY 2002 funds. 
Based on the status of relevant appropriations legislation, NTIA 
expects to have approximately $12.5 million available for new grants. 
Further notice will be made in the Federal Register and the TOP web 
site of the final status of funding for this program at the appropriate 
time.
    Based on past experience, NTIA expects this year's grant round to 
be very competitive. In Fiscal Year 2001, NTIA received over 660 
applications collectively requesting more than $367 million in federal 
funds. From these applications, the Department of Commerce announced 74 
awards totaling $42.8 million in federal funds.

Award Amount

    An applicant may request up to a total of $750,000 in funds from 
NTIA. TOP expects the federal amounts awarded to range from $200,000 to 
$750,000, with an average of approximately $500,000. The amount awarded 
covers the duration of the project.

Matching Funds Requirements

    Grant recipients under this program will be required to provide 
matching funds toward the total project cost. Applicants must document 
their capacity to provide matching funds. Matching funds may be in the 
form of cash or in-kind contributions. NTIA will provide up to 50 
percent of the total project cost, unless the applicant can document 
extraordinary circumstances warranting a grant of up to 75 percent. 
Grant funds under this program are usually released in direct 
proportion to local matching funds utilized and documented as having 
been expended.
    Generally, federal funds may not be used as matching funds, except 
as provided by federal statute. If you plan to use funds from a federal 
agency as matching funds, you should contact the federal agency that 
administers the funds in question and obtain documentation from that 
agency's Office of General Counsel to support the use of federal funds 
for matching purposes.

Completeness of Application

    TOP will initially review all applications to determine whether all 
required elements are present and clearly identifiable. The required 
elements are listed and described in the Guidelines for Preparing 
Applications'Fiscal Year 2002. Details on how to access the Guidelines 
for Preparing Applications'Fiscal Year 2002, are available in the 
section ``Other Information'' in this Notice. Each of the required 
elements must be present and clearly identified. Failure to do so may 
result in rejection of the application. For details on how to obtain 
materials needed to complete an application, see ``Addresses'' in this 
Notice.

Application Deadline

    As noted above, complete applications for the Fiscal Year 2002 TOP 
grant program must be received by NTIA no later than 8 P.M. EST, March 
21, 2002. A postmark date is not sufficient. Applications which have 
been provided to a delivery service on or before March 20, 2002, with 
``delivery guaranteed'' before 8:00 P.M. on March 21, 2002, will be 
accepted for review if the applicant can document that the application 
was provided to the delivery service with delivery to the

[[Page 63374]]

address listed above guaranteed prior to the closing date and time. 
Applications will not be accepted via facsimile machine transmission or 
electronic mail.
    NTIA anticipates that it will take approximately six months to 
complete the review of applications and make final funding decisions.

Program Funding Priorities

    Through TOP, NTIA provides underserved communities with 
opportunities to explore the possibilities that emerging digital 
network technologies offer to solve critical challenges in such areas 
as lifelong learning, community and economic development, government 
and public services, safety, health, culture, and the arts.\1\
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    \1\ ``Underserved'' refers to various groups of people and 
geographic communities that face technological, economic, physical, 
linguistic, or cultural barriers that limit access to the benefits 
of digital network technologies.
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    TOP projects demonstrate creative uses of digital network 
technologies to address pressing needs in the public and non-profit 
sectors. Therefore, TOP expects each applicant to present a clear 
vision and a workable plan to apply digital network technologies to 
address specific challenges in their communities. Rather than simply 
requesting funds to build capacity or upgrade existing equipment, each 
application should describe a project that pinpoints specific problems, 
proposes creative solutions, and postulates measurable outcomes.
    As a national program, TOP emphasizes innovation, learning, and 
diffusion of new ideas and practical knowledge. Each TOP-supported 
project must be innovative in the sense that it represents a departure 
from how other communities and groups across the country are using 
digital network technologies to overcome obstacles. Each TOP project 
should yield new insights into how best to use these technologies and 
offer opportunities to learn what works well and what does not. Because 
these grants will serve as national models for other communities, NTIA 
expects each project to include provisions for thorough evaluations 
that will provide valid and reliable data as well as valuable lessons 
learned to be shared with others interested in the project.
    All funded projects must be interactive in that they allow end 
users to share information with each other or gain access to 
information on an on-demand basis, as opposed to a one-way or broadcast 
basis.\2\ TOP-supported projects must also involve communication and 
new partnerships among multiple unaffiliated organizations or enable 
direct, interactive communication between an organization and the 
public it serves.
    For the FY 2002 grant competition, TOP is interested in projects 
that involve:
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    \2\ An ``end user'' is an individual who directly utilizes the 
network technology.
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     Broadband technologies that bring very high-speed 
communications directly to end users;
     Mobile wireless communication technologies that offer end 
users greater flexibility in how, where, and when they access 
information;
     Empowering end users to move beyond passive information 
consumption to become valued contributors to the development, use, and 
expansion of shared information resources; \3\ and
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    \3\ For example, once isolated communities now use Internet 
technology to collect and express their histories; children have 
become agents of community change as they have used network 
technology to collect information, provide analysis, and contribute 
to the public policy dialogue in their communities; and citizens are 
exploring the creation of databases which enrich the resources made 
available by local and state governments.
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     Emerging data sharing techniques that facilitate the 
seamless and secure exchange of information across organizational 
boundaries.
    In previous fiscal years, NTIA supported planning projects. The 
emphasis for Fiscal Year 2002 is on projects that deploy, use, and 
evaluate digital network technologies. NTIA will, however, support 
projects that incorporate some planning activities as part of the 
proposed project.

Limitations on Project Scope

    Each TOP project is expected to include a range of activities that 
support project development, implementation, and evaluation. However, 
TOP will not support projects whose primary purpose is to develop 
network infrastructure, to create hardware or software, to provide 
training on the use of the network technologies, or to build voice-
based systems. Details on these restrictions are discussed below.
    (1) Infrastructure Development Projects. Every TOP applicant is 
expected to create a project that describes and provides funding for 
specific applications of digital network technologies to address 
important community challenges. Therefore, TOP will not support 
projects whose primary purpose is to create telecommunications or 
network infrastructure without significant dedication of resources to 
specific applications of that infrastructure.
    (2) Hardware or Software Development Projects. Some projects may 
require limited software development or the customization or 
modification of existing software or hardware in order to meet 
particular end-user requirements or to enable the exchange of 
information across networks. However, the creation of a software or 
hardware product cannot be a project's primary purpose.
    (3) Training Projects. While TOP does consider training to be an 
essential aspect of most projects, TOP will not support projects whose 
primary purpose is to provide training in the use of software 
applications, Internet use, or other use of network technologies.
    (4) Voice-based Systems. Two-way, interactive voice networks are an 
important element of the existing network systems. Voice as a means for 
conveying information and voice input tools play critical roles in 
ensuring people with disabilities have access to network technology. 
However, TOP will not support projects whose primary purpose is to 
either build or install voice-based communication networks such as call 
centers, two-way radio networks, enhanced-911 and 311 systems, or 800 
MHZ radio systems.

Review Criteria

    Reviewers will analyze and rate each application using the 
following criteria. The relative weights of each criterion are 
identified in parentheses.

1. Project Purpose (20%)

    Each application should describe a clearly defined project that 
focuses on underserved communities. In this criterion, reviewers will 
judge each application on (1) the overall design of the project and (2) 
the degree to which it provides opportunities for underserved 
communities.
    In assessing the project design, reviewers will examine the degree 
to which the applicant clearly: (1) Defines the problem(s) within the 
community to be served and describes its severity; (2) proposes 
creative and practical means of addressing the community's problem(s) 
through specific applications of digital network technologies; and (3) 
identifies anticipated outcomes and that are both realistic and 
measurable. Reviewers will also assess the degree to which an applicant 
convincingly links the three major elements--problem(s), solution(s), 
and outcome(s).
    Reviewers will assess the degree to which the project targets 
underserved communities and populations, and the degree to which the 
proposed project

[[Page 63375]]

will address the circumstances and challenges (such as poverty, low 
literacy, disabilities, high unemployment, low educational achievement, 
high crime rate, poor health status, etc.) they face.

2. Innovation (20%)

    Reviewers will assess innovation by examining both the technology 
to be used and the application of technology in a particular setting, 
to serve a particular population, or to solve a particular problem. TOP 
defines innovation broadly. For example, projects that involve 
imaginative partnerships, the introduction of new business processes 
designed to offer more effective services, untested strategies for 
overcoming access barriers, or new techniques that transform inter-
organizational relationships can all be considered innovative. TOP 
encourages applicants to experiment with leading edge technologies. It 
is, however, the creativity behind the application of the technology to 
meet community needs that ultimately determines the level of 
innovation.
    Using their experience in their respective fields, reviewers will 
examine each project in a national context and evaluate how an 
application compares with, complements, and improves on what is known 
about using digital network technology as a solution to problems in its 
particular field.

3. Diffusion Potential (20%)

    The innovations and approaches to be demonstrated in any proposed 
project should contain the potential to be diffused broadly throughout 
the country. NTIA expects that each awarded project will serve as a 
model for other communities to follow.
    To assess this potential for diffusion, reviewers will consider 
five factors:
    (1) The degree to which the problem identified by the applicant is 
common to many communities;
    (2) The relative advantage of the project's innovations over 
established approaches to addressing the specified problems;
    (3) The ease of replication and adaptation, based on considerations 
such as cost and complexity;
    (4) The applicant's plans and budget resources dedicated to 
disseminate actively the knowledge gained from the project's successes 
and failures; and
    (5) The capability and experience of an applicant or their partner 
organizations to reach communities across the country and disseminate 
their findings.

4. Project Feasibility (15%)

    In assessing the feasibility of each application, reviewers will 
focus on six issues: the technical approach, the qualifications of the 
project staff, the proposed budget, the implementation schedule, plans 
for protecting privacy, and the applicant's plan for sustaining the 
project beyond the grant period.
    (1) In assessing the technical approach, reviewers will examine the 
degree to which the proposed system would work and operate with other 
systems; technological alternatives that have been considered; designs 
for system maintenance and periodic upgrades; and plans for project 
expansion. Applicants are expected to make use of existing 
infrastructure and commercially available telecommunications services, 
unless extraordinary circumstances require the construction of new 
network facilities.
    (2) In assessing the qualifications of the project team, reviewers 
will assess the applicant and its partners to determine if they have 
the resources, expertise, and experience necessary to undertake, 
evaluate, and complete the project and disseminate results within the 
proposed period.
    (3) Reviewers will analyze the budget in terms of clarity and cost-
effectiveness. The proposed budget should be appropriate to the tasks 
proposed and sufficiently detailed so that reviewers can easily 
understand the relationship of items in the budget to the project 
narrative.
    (4) Reviewers also will assess the degree to which the 
implementation process is comprehensive, reasonable, and can be 
completed in the proposed time frame.
    (5) Reviewers will evaluate the applicant's plans to safeguard the 
privacy of the project's end users and others affected by the project.
    (6) Finally, reviewers will examine the applicant's strategies to 
sustain the project after the completion of the grant.

5. Community Involvement (15%)

    Each application will be rated on the overall level and breadth of 
community involvement in the development and implementation of the 
proposed project. Reviewers will:
    (1) Analyze the applicant's partnerships to ensure that they 
include linkages among unaffiliated organizations (from the public, 
non-profit, or private sectors) as an ongoing and integral part of 
project planning and implementation. TOP considers partners to be 
organizations that supply cash or in-kind resources and/or play an 
active role in the planning and implementation of the project;
    (2) Examine the steps the applicant has taken to include and 
sustain the involvement of a variety of community stakeholders. 
Reviewers will look for evidence of demand, from the community, the end 
users, and the potential beneficiaries, for the services proposed by 
the project; and
    (3) Consider the degree of attention paid to the needs, skills, 
working conditions, and living environments of the targeted end users. 
Reviewers will consider the extent to which applicants involve 
representatives from a broad range of potential users in both the 
design and implementation of the project and consider the varying 
degrees of abilities of all end users, including individuals with 
disabilities. Reviewers will also assess the degree to which the 
project addresses barriers which limit a community's or a group's 
access to digital network technologies. Finally, reviewers will assess 
the applicant's plans for training end users and upgrading their 
skills.

6. Evaluation (10%)

    Each application will be rated on its proposed plans for evaluating 
the project. Reviewers will assess the extent to which the applicant's 
research or evaluation design: (1) Provides for continuous feedback for 
project planning, implementation, review and revision; (2) addresses 
the problems, solutions, and anticipated outcomes described in the 
project purpose and yields valid and reliable findings; (3) captures 
lessons learned and sufficient descriptive data so that others may 
easily adapt and replicate the project; and (4) meets TOP's 
requirements for an independent evaluation as described in the 
``Reporting Requirements'' section of Notice.
    In assessing evaluation, reviewers will examine:
    (1) The research design and methodology;
    (2) Evaluation questions, data collection, and data analysis plans;
    (3) The qualifications of any staff or external evaluators working 
on the evaluation; and
    (4) The allocation of resources for implementing the evaluation and 
reporting project findings.

Eligible Costs

    Eligible Costs. 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 Appendix E of 45 
CFR part 74. If included in the approved project budget, TOP will allow 
costs for personnel; fringe benefits; computer

[[Page 63376]]

hardware, software, and other end-user equipment; telecommunication 
services and related equipment; consultants, evaluators, and other 
contractual items; travel; rental of office equipment, furniture, and 
space; and supplies. All costs must be reasonable and directly related 
to the project.
    Indirect Costs. The total dollar amount of the indirect costs 
proposed in an application under this program must not exceed the 
indirect cost rate negotiated and approved by a cognizant federal 
agency.

Ineligible Costs

    Costs associated with the construction or major renovation of 
buildings are not eligible. While costs for the construction of new 
network facilities are eligible, applicants are expected to make use of 
existing infrastructure and commercially available telecommunications 
services. Only under extraordinary circumstances will the construction 
of new network facilities be approved.
    Costs for professional services are also ineligible. TOP defines 
professional services as activities delivered over a network that would 
otherwise be provided in a face-to-face setting such as teaching 
students, counseling clients, providing direct patient care, or 
interpreting services, etc. For example, if the project proposes to 
create a telemedicine network, the costs of setting up, maintaining, 
and evaluating the use of the network are eligible, but payment for the 
time or services of physicians or other health professionals providing 
care over the network is not an eligible cost.
    Note that costs that are ineligible for TOP support may not be 
included as part of the applicant's matching fund contribution.
    In addition, the restrictions on the use of grant funds defined in 
the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2001, Public Law 
106-553 are still applicable. The act placed restrictions on eligible 
costs for applicants that are recipients of Universal Service Fund 
discounts and applicants receiving assistance from the Department of 
Justice's Regional Information Sharing Systems Program as part of the 
project costs. The statute provided:

    That notwithstanding any other provision of law, no entity that 
receives telecommunications services at preferential rates under 
section 254(h) of the Act (47 U.S.C. 254(h)) or receives assistance 
under the regional information sharing systems grant program of the 
Department of Justice under part M of title I of the Omnibus Crime 
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796h) may use funds 
under a grant under this heading to cover any costs of the entity 
that would otherwise be covered by such preferential rates or such 
assistance, as the case may be.

    Accordingly, recipients of the above-described preferential rates 
or assistance are prohibited from including any costs that would be 
covered by such preferential rates or assistance in their proposed TOP 
grant budget. More details on this restriction can be found in the 
Guidelines for Preparing Applications--Fiscal Year 2002.
    NTIA will clarify this restriction through a Notice of Availability 
of Funds which will be released in the Federal Register and TOP's web 
site once a FY 2002 appropriations bill is signed into law.

Award Period

    Successful applicants will have up to 36 months to complete their 
projects. While the completion time will vary depending on the 
complexity of the project, NTIA has found that most grant recipients 
require at least two years to complete and evaluate fully their 
projects. Accordingly, NTIA encourages applicants to propose projects 
that last two to three years.

Selection Process

    The selection process will last approximately six months and 
involves four stages outlined below:
    (1) During the first stage, each eligible application will be 
reviewed by a panel of outside readers, who have demonstrated expertise 
in both the programmatic and technological aspects of the application. 
The review panel members will evaluate applications according to the 
review criteria provided in this Notice and provide the ratings to the 
program staff. As discussed below, these ratings constitute one of the 
selection factors to be used by the TOP Director when preparing the 
slate of recommended grant awards.
    (2) Upon completion of the external review process, program staff 
will analyze applications considered for award that will be based on 
the degree to which a proposed project meets the program's funding 
scope as described in the section entitled ``Limitations on Project 
Scope;'' the eligibility of costs and matching funds included in an 
application's budget; and the extent to which an application 
complements or duplicates projects previously funded or under 
consideration by NTIA or other federal programs.\4\
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    \4\ See discussion of ``Eligible Costs'' and ``Matching Funds 
Requirements'' in this Notice. Information on previously funded 
grants is available from the TOP. In the section ``Other 
Information'' of this Notice, details are available on how to access 
this information.
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    The TOP Director then prepares and presents a slate of recommended 
grant awards to the Office of Telecommunications and Information 
Applications' (OTIA) Associate Administrator for review and approval of 
the recommended slate.\5\ The Director's recommendations and the 
Associate Administrator's review and approval will take into account 
the following selection factors:
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    \5\ The Office of Telecommunication and Information Applications 
is the division of the National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration that supervises NTIA's grant awards programs.
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    1. The evaluations of the outside reviewers;
    2. The analysis of program staff;
    3. The degree to which the proposed grants meet the program's 
priorities as described in the section entitled ``Program Funding 
Priorities;''
    4. The geographic distribution of the proposed grant awards;
    5. The variety of technologies and diversity of uses of the 
technologies employed by the proposed grant awards;
    6. The provision of access to and use of digital network 
technologies by rural communities and other underserved groups;
    7. Avoidance of redundancy and conflicts with the initiatives of 
other federal agencies; and,
    8. The availability of funds.
    (3) Upon approval by the OTIA Associate Administrator, the 
Director's recommendations will then be presented to the Selecting 
Official, the NTIA Administrator. The NTIA Administrator selects the 
applications to be negotiated for possible grant award taking into 
consideration the Director's recommendations and the degree to which 
the slate of applications, taken as a whole, satisfies the selection 
factors described above and the program's stated purposes as set forth 
in the section entitled ``Program Funding Priorities.''
    (4) After applications have been selected in this manner, 
negotiations will take place between TOP staff and the applicant. These 
negotiations are intended to resolve any differences that exist between 
the applicant's original request and what TOP proposes to fund, and if 
necessary, to clarify items in the application. Not all applicants who 
are contacted for negotiation will necessarily receive a TOP award. 
Final selections made by the Administrator will be based upon the 
recommendations by the Director and

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the OTIA Associate Administrator and the degree to which the slate of 
applications, taken as a whole, satisfies the program's stated purposes 
as set forth in the section entitled ``Program Funding Priorities,'' 
upon the conclusion of negotiations.

Use of Program Income

    Applicants are advised that any program income generated by a 
proposed project is subject to special conditions. Anticipated program 
income must be documented appropriately in the project budget. In 
addition, should an application be funded, unanticipated program income 
must be reported to TOP, and the budget for the project must be 
renegotiated to reflect receipt of this program income. Program income 
means gross income earned by the recipient that is either directly 
generated by a supported activity, or earned as a result of the award. 
In addition, federal policy prohibits any recipient or subrecipient 
receiving federal funds from the use of equipment acquired with these 
funds to provide services to non-federal outside organizations for a 
fee that is less than private companies charge for equivalent services. 
This prohibition does not apply to services provided to outside 
organizations at no cost.

Policy on Sectarian Activities

    Applicants are advised that on December 22, 1995, NTIA issued a 
notice in the Federal Register on its policy with regard to sectarian 
activities. Under NTIA's policy, while religious activities cannot be 
the essential thrust of a grant, an application will not be ineligible 
where sectarian activities are only incidental or attenuated to the 
overall project purpose for which funding is requested. Applicants for 
whom this policy may be relevant should read the policy that was 
published in the Federal Register at 60 FR 66491, Dec. 22, 1995.

Reporting Requirements

    To ensure compliance with federal regulations and collect systemic 
evaluation data on each project, successful TOP applicants have a 
number of basic reporting requirements once they are awarded a grant. 
At project outset, TOP grantees provide detailed baseline information 
on the project objectives, goals, partners, and populations served. 
Each quarter, grantees provide financial reports and updates on project 
activities. At project completion, TOP grantees must also provide a 
closeout report.
    Finally, because evaluation results play such a critical role in 
helping other organizations learn about what works well and what does 
not, each TOP-supported project will provide NTIA a final evaluation 
report. To ensure the validity of the findings, the final evaluation 
report must be completed by an independent evaluator or team of 
evaluators who are not in a direct reporting relationship with the 
applicant.\6\ TOP will make copies of the final evaluation report 
available to the public.
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    \6\ In large institutions, such as universities, colleges, and 
foundations, an independent evaluator can include a representative 
from departments not associated with the applicant. In addition, 
TOP's requirement for having a grantee have an independent evaluator 
develop the final evaluation report does not preclude an applicant 
from conducing the evaluation in conjunction with an independent 
evaluator.
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Waiver Authority

    It is the general intent of NTIA not to waive any of the provisions 
set forth in this Notice. However, under extraordinary circumstances 
and when it is in the best interest of the federal government, NTIA, 
upon its own initiative or when requested, may waive the provisions in 
this Notice. Waivers may only be granted for requirements that are 
discretionary and not mandated by statute. Any request for a waiver 
must set forth the extraordinary circumstances for the request and be 
included in the application or sent to the address provided in the 
Addresses section above. NTIA will not consider a request to waive the 
application deadline for an application until the application has been 
received.

Intergovernmental Review

    Applications under this program are subject to Executive Order 
12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''

Other Information

    Electronic Information. Information about NTIA and TOP, including 
this document and the Guidelines for Preparing Applications--Fiscal 
Year 2002, can be retrieved electronically via the Internet using the 
World Wide Web at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/top. This document can be 
provided in alternate formats, including braille. If you need 
assistance please contact TOP at 202-482-2048 or [email protected].
    In order to facilitate the diffusion of ideas generated by the 
grant round and opportunities for other potential funders to identify 
promising projects, TOP will provide a copy of each application's 
executive summary and contact information on its home page.
    For FY 2002, applicants to the TOP will also be able to utilize the 
Internet to prepare their Standard Forms 424 and 424A and an executive 
summary. Through TOP's web site at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/top, 
applicants can access helpful guides and online tools with self 
calculating totals and pre-filled forms that will reduce the time it 
takes to prepare the application forms. These tools are optional and 
not required to prepare an application.
    Please note that applicants must submit all application materials 
(even those forms prepared online) in hard copy with appropriate 
signatures as specified in the Application Deadline section of this 
Notice.
    Submission Requirements. TOP requests one original and five copies 
of the application. Applicants for whom the submission of five copies 
presents financial hardship may submit one original and two copies of 
the application. In addition, all applicants are required to submit a 
copy of their application to their state Single Point of Contact (SPOC) 
offices, if they have one. For information on contacting state SPOC 
offices, refer to the Guidelines for Preparing Applications--Fiscal 
Year 2002.
    Disposition of Unsuccessful Applications. Applications accepted for 
review for the Fiscal Year 2002 grant round will be stored at the 
Department of Commerce until the start of the next grant competition or 
one year, whichever period is longer. At the end of that period, the 
applications will be destroyed.
    Sensitive Information. Because of the high level of public interest 
in projects supported by TOP, the program anticipates receiving 
requests for copies of successful applications. Applicants are hereby 
notified that the applications they submit are subject to the Freedom 
of Information Act. To assist NTIA in making disclosure determinations, 
applicants may identify sensitive information and label it 
``confidential.''
    Human Subject Research Protections. The Department of Commerce, 
through Part 27 of Title 15 of the Code of Federal Regulations, 
requires that all applications awarded under the TOP ensure protections 
for any human subjects involved in research.
    For each application that involves human subject research, 
applicants should clearly indicate in the evaluation section of the 
application that:
    (1) The project involves human subjects research, but the research 
will likely be eligible for an exemption from Institutional Review 
Board approval, or
    (2) The project involves human subjects research, and you either 
have or will seek approval of the research from an Institutional Review 
Board.

[[Page 63378]]

    If an application is considered for funding, the grant applicant 
will be asked to submit appropriate documentation of IRB approval or 
exemption status to the Federal Program Officer for approval by 
Department officials. More details on human subject research 
protections are available through the TOP's Web site at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/top and the Guidelines for Preparing Applications--
Fiscal Year 2002.
    Grant Requirements. The Department of Commerce Pre-Award 
Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements 
contained in the Federal Register notice of October 1, 2001 (66 FR 
49917), are applicable to this solicitation.
    Other Requirements. It has been determined that this Notice is not 
significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866.
    Because notice and comment are not required under 5 U.S.C. 553, or 
any other law, for notices relating to public property, loans, grants, 
benefits or contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)), a Regulatory Flexibility 
Analysis is not required and has not been prepared for this Notice, 5 
U.S.C. 601 et seq.
    It has been determined that this Notice does not contain policies 
with Federalism implications as that term is defined in Executive Order 
13132.
    This document contains collection-of-information requirements 
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The use of Standard Forms 
424, 424A, 424B, and SF-LLL have been approved by OMB under the 
respective control numbers 0348-0043, 0348-0044, 0348-0040, and 0348-
0046.
    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required 
to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure 
to comply with, a collection of information subject to the Paperwork 
Reduction Act, unless that collection displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.

Nancy J. Victory,
Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information.
[FR Doc. 01-30172 Filed 12-5-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P