[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 216 (Tuesday, November 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69238-69239]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-28776]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce has submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for 
collection of information under the emergency provisions of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).
    Agency: National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA).
    Title: Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) Quarterly 
and Annual Performance Progress Reports.
    OMB Control Number: 0660-0037.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Emergency submission (revision to a currently 
approved information collection).
    Number of Respondents: 121.
    Average Hours per Response: 5.94.
    Burden Hours: 727.
    Needs and Uses: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 
(Recovery Act) appropriated funds for BTOP to support the deployment of 
broadband infrastructure, enhance and expand public computer centers, 
encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service, and develop and 
maintain a nationwide public map of broadband service capability and 
availability.
    The Recovery Act mandates that funds distributed under its 
authority be subject to an unprecedented level of transparency and 
accountability. This includes an increased level of monitoring and 
oversight to ensure that Recovery Act funds are used for their 
authorized purposes; steps are in place to prevent waste, fraud or 
abuse; and BTOP projects avoid unnecessary delay and cost-overruns and 
meet targets and goals. In addition to increased levels of monitoring 
and oversight, BTOP projects must adhere to mandatory timelines 
requiring them to demonstrate that each project will be substantially 
completed within two years of the grant's issuance date. To enable NTIA 
to properly achieve these objectives and verify that BTOP projects are 
meeting established targets and goals within the mandated timeframes, 
NTIA has developed and utilized Performance Progress Reports (PPRs) to 
capture quarterly and annual reports for each project type 
(Infrastructure, Public Computer Center, and Sustainable Broadband 
Adoption). Each PPR provides updates on fundamental project milestones 
and key performance indicators that allow NTIA to measure project 
progress and ensure proper monitoring and compliance with program 
rules.
    NTIA reviewed PPRs, submitted on September 30, 2011, and assessed 
the individual responses provided by BTOP grant recipients and 
concluded that several key questions on the existing annual 
Infrastructure PPR need to be clarified if NTIA is to receive the 
appropriate level of detail necessary to ensure BTOP projects are 
meeting established targets and goals within mandated timeframes. NTIA 
is also requesting updated mapping information in order to better 
monitor the current status and impact of broadband deployment in each 
of the funded project areas. The annual Infrastructure PPR will be 
revised to capture more detailed information related to: Community 
Anchor Institutions; Points of Presence; and Network Maps.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    OMB Desk Officer: Nicholas Fraser, (202) 395-5887.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Diana Hynek, Departmental Paperwork Clearance

[[Page 69239]]

Officer, (202) 482-0266, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 
[email protected]).
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent by November 30, 2011 to Nicholas Fraser, OMB 
Desk Officer, FAX number (202) 395-7285, or via the Internet at 
[email protected].

    Dated: November 2, 2011.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-28776 Filed 11-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-06-P