[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 78 (Thursday, April 23, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22717-22718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-09527]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Recruitment of First Responder Network Authority Board Members

AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 
U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA) issues this Notice on behalf of the First Responder Network 
Authority (FirstNet) as part of the annual process to seek expressions 
of interest from individuals who would like to serve on the FirstNet 
Board.\1\ Four of the 12 appointments of non-permanent members to the 
FirstNet Board are expiring in August 2015. The Secretary of Commerce 
may reappoint individuals to serve on the FirstNet Board provided they 
have not served two consecutive full three-year terms.\2\ NTIA issues 
this Notice to obtain expressions of interest in the event the 
Secretary must fill any vacancies arising on the Board. Expressions of 
interest will be accepted until May 15, 2015.
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    \1\ The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 
(Act) created FirstNet as an independent authority within NTIA, 
directing it to establish a single nationwide interoperable 
broadband network. Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 
2012, Public Law 112-96, 126 Stat. 156 (``Act''), to be codified at 
47 U.S.C. 1401 et. seq. The Act requires that FirstNet be led by a 
15-person Board, with the Secretary of Homeland Security, the 
Attorney General, and the Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget serving as permanent members of the Board. 47 U.S.C. 
1424(b)(1).
    \2\ 47 U.S.C. 1424(c)(2)(A)(ii).

DATES: Expressions of Interest must be postmarked or electronically 
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transmitted on or before May 15, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to submit expressions of interest as 
described below should send that information to: Marsha MacBride, 
Acting Associate Administrator of NTIA's Office of Public Safety 
Communications by email to [email protected]; by U.S. mail or 
commercial delivery service to: Office of Public Safety Communications, 
National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 1401 
Constitution Avenue NW., Room 7324, Washington, DC 20230; or by 
facsimile transmission to (202) 501-0536. Please note that all material 
sent via the U.S. Postal Service (including ``Overnight'' or ``Express 
Mail'') is subject to delivery delays of up to two weeks due to mail 
security procedures.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marsha MacBride, Acting Associate 
Administrator, Office of Public Safety Communications, National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Room 7324, Washington, DC 
20230; telephone: (202) 482-1150; email: [email protected]. Please 
direct media inquiries to NTIA's Office of Public Affairs, (202) 482-
7002.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background and Authority

    The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Act) 
created the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) as an 
independent authority within NTIA and charged it with establishing and 
overseeing a nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network, 
based on a single, national network architecture.\3\ FirstNet is 
responsible for, at a minimum, ensuring nationwide standards for use 
and access of the network; issuing open, transparent, and competitive 
requests for proposals (RFPs) to build, operate, and maintain the 
network; encouraging these RFPs to leverage, to the maximum extent 
economically desirable, existing commercial wireless infrastructure to 
speed deployment of the network; and managing and overseeing contracts 
with non-federal entities to build, operate, and maintain the 
network.\4\ FirstNet holds the single public safety license granted for 
wireless public safety broadband deployment. The FirstNet Board is 
responsible for making strategic decisions about FirstNet's operations

[[Page 22718]]

and ensuring the success of the nationwide network.
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    \3\ 47 U.S.C. 1422(b).
    \4\ 47 U.S.C. 1426(b)(1).
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II. Structure

    The FirstNet Board is composed of 15 voting members. The Act names 
the U.S. Attorney General, the Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget, and the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security as 
permanent members of the Board. The Secretary of Commerce appoints the 
twelve non-permanent members of the FirstNet Board.\5\ The Act requires 
each Board member to have experience or expertise in at least one of 
the following substantive areas: public safety, network, technical, 
and/or financial.\6\ Additionally, the composition of the FirstNet 
Board must satisfy the other requirements specified in the Act, 
including that: (i) at least three Board members have served as public 
safety professionals; (ii) at least three members represent the 
collective interests of states, localities, tribes, and territories; 
and (iii) its members reflect geographic and regional, as well as rural 
and urban, representation.\7\ An individual Board member may satisfy 
more than one of these requirements. The current non-permanent FirstNet 
Board members are (noting length of term):
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    \5\ 47 U.S.C. 1424(b).
    \6\ 47 U.S.C. 1424(b)(2)(B).
    \7\ 47 U.S.C. 1424(b)(2)(A).

 Barry Boniface, telecommunications executive and private 
equity investor (Term expires: August 2016)
 Tim Bryan, CEO, National Rural Telecom Cooperative (Term 
expires: August 2015)
 Chris Burbank, Chief, Salt Lake City Police Department (Term 
expires: August 2017)
 James Douglas, Former Governor of Vermont (Term expires: 
August 2017)
 Jeffrey Johnson (Vice Chair), Fire Chief (retired); CEO, 
Western Fire Chiefs Association; former Chair, Oregon State 
Interoperability Council (Term expires: August 2016)
 Kevin McGinnis, Chief/Community Paramedicine, North East 
Mobile Health Services (Term expires: August 2015)
 Annise Parker, Mayor, City of Houston, Texas (Term expires: 
August 2015)
 Frank Plastina, telecommunications/technology executive (Term 
expires: August 2015)
 Ed Reynolds, telecommunications executive (retired) (Term 
expires: August 2017)
 Richard Stanek, Sheriff of Hennepin County, Minnesota and 
National Sheriffs' Association Executive Committee Member (Term 
expires: August 2017)
 Susan Swenson (Chair), telecommunications/technology executive 
(Term expires: August 2016)
 Teri Takai, government information technology expert; former 
CIO, States of Michigan and California (Term expires: August 2016)

    More information about the FirstNet Board is available at 
www.firstnet.gov/about/Board. Board members are appointed for a term of 
three years, and Board members may not serve more than two consecutive 
full three-year terms.

III. Compensation and Status as Government Employees

    FirstNet Board members are appointed as special government 
employees. FirstNet Board members are compensated at the daily rate of 
basic pay for level IV of the Executive Schedule (approximately 
$155,000 per year).\8\ Each Board member must be a United States 
citizen, cannot be a registered lobbyist, and cannot be a registered 
agent of, employed by, or receive payments from a foreign 
government.\9\
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    \8\ 47 U.S.C. 1424(g).
    \9\ See, Revised Guidance on Appointment of Lobbyists to Federal 
Advisory Committees, Boards, and Commissions, Office of Management 
and Budget, 79 FR 47482 (Aug. 13, 2014).
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IV. Financial Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

    FirstNet Board members must comply with certain federal conflict of 
interest statutes and ethics regulations, including some financial 
disclosure requirements. A FirstNet Board member will generally be 
prohibited from participating on any particular matter that will have a 
direct and predictable effect on his or her personal financial 
interests or on the interests of the appointee's spouse, minor 
children, or non-federal employer.

V. Selection Process

    At the direction of the Secretary of Commerce, NTIA, in 
consultation with FirstNet, will conduct outreach to the public safety 
community, state and local organizations, and industry to solicit 
nominations for candidates to the Board who satisfy the statutory 
requirements for membership. In addition, by this Notice, the Secretary 
of Commerce, through NTIA, will accept expressions of interest until 
May 15, 2015 from any individual, or any organization that wishes to 
propose a candidate, who satisfies the statutory requirements for 
membership on the FirstNet Board.\10\
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    \10\ Incumbent Board members whose terms expire in August 2015, 
and who wish to be considered for reappointment, do not need to 
submit an expression of interest in response to this Notice.
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    All parties wishing to be considered should submit their full name, 
address, telephone number, email address, a current resume, and a 
statement of qualifications that references how the candidate satisfies 
the Act's expertise, representational, and geographic requirements for 
FirstNet Board membership, as described in this Notice, along with a 
statement describing why they want to serve on the FirstNet Board and 
affirming their ability to take a regular and active role in the 
Board's work.
    The Secretary of Commerce will select FirstNet Board candidates 
based on the eligibility requirements in the Act and recommendations 
submitted by NTIA, in consultation with the FirstNet Board's Governance 
and Personnel Committee. NTIA will recommend candidates based on an 
assessment of their qualifications as well as their demonstrated 
ability to work in a collaborative way to achieve the goals and 
objectives of FirstNet as set forth in the Act. Board candidates will 
be vetted through the Department of Commerce and are subject to an 
appropriate background check for security clearance.

    Dated: April 20, 2015.
Lawrence E. Strickling,
Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information.
[FR Doc. 2015-09527 Filed 4-22-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-60-P