[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 72 (Thursday, April 14, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22059-22060]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-08664]


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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) to initiate 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 expire in August 2016. 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 20, 2016.
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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 ensure the building, deployment, and operation of a 
single nationwide interoperable broadband network. Middle Class Tax 
Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, Public Law 112-96, 126 Stat. 
156 (``Act''), codified at 47 U.S.C. 1401 et. seq. FirstNet must 
exercise, through the actions of its Board, all powers specifically 
granted by the provisions of the Act and such incidental powers as 
shall be necessary. 47 U.S.C. 1424(b)(1). The Secretary of Commerce 
shall appoint 12 non-permanent members of the Board, with the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, the Attorney General of the United 
States, 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 20, 2016.

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]; or by 
U.S. mail or commercial delivery service to: Office of Public Safety 
Communications, National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Room 4078, Washington, DC 
20230; or by facsimile transmission to (202) 482-5802. 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 4078, Washington, DC 
20230; telephone: (202) 482-5802; 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 ensuring the 
building, deployment, and operation of 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 providing overall policy 
direction and oversight of FirstNet to ensure 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

[[Page 22060]]

Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, the Attorney General 
of the United States, and the Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget as permanent members of the FirstNet 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, Private equity investor and telecommunications 
executive
    (Term expires: August 2016)
 Chris Burbank, Chief of Police, Salt Lake City, Utah (retired)
    (Term expires: August 2017)
 Neil E. Cox, Telecommunications/technology executive (Term 
expires: August 2018)
 James H. Douglas, Former Governor, Vermont (Term expires: 
August 2017)
 Edward Horowitz, Venture capital/technology executive (Term 
expires: August 2018)
 Jeffrey Johnson (Vice Chair), Fire Chief (retired); CEO, 
Western Fire Chiefs Association; Former Chair, State Interoperability 
Council, State of Oregon (Term expires: August 2016)
 Kevin McGinnis, Chief/CEO, North East Mobile Health Services 
(Term expires: August 2018)
 Annise Parker, Former Mayor, City of Houston, Texas (Term 
expires: August 2018)
 Ed Reynolds, Telecommunications executive (retired) (Term 
expires: August 2017)
 Richard Stanek, Sheriff, 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 
$160,300 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 20, 2016 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 2016, 
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 and availability 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 11, 2016.
Lawrence E. Strickling,
Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information.
[FR Doc. 2016-08664 Filed 4-13-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-60-P