[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 88 (Friday, May 6, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27409-27410]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-10698]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

First Responder Network Authority

[Docket Number: 160429380-6380-01]
RIN 0660-XC025


Notice of Availability of a Draft Programmatic Environmental 
Impact Statement for the East Region of the Nationwide Public Safety 
Broadband Network and Notice of Public Meetings

AGENCY: First Responder Network Authority, National Telecommunications 
and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Announcement of availability of a draft programmatic 
environmental impact statement and of public meetings.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The First Responder Network Authority (``FirstNet'') announces 
the availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement for the East Region (``Draft PEIS''). FirstNet also announces 
a series of public meetings to be held throughout the East Region to 
receive comments on the Draft PEIS. The Draft PEIS evaluates the 
potential environmental impacts of the proposed nationwide public 
safety broadband network in the East Region, composed of Connecticut, 
Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New 
Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, 
Virginia, and West Virginia.

DATES: Submit comments on the Draft PEIS for the East Region on or 
before July 6, 2016. FirstNet will also hold public meetings in each of 
the 13 states and the District of Columbia. See SUPPLMENTARY 
INFORMATION section for meeting dates.

ADDRESSES: At any time during the public comment period, members of the 
public, public agencies, and other interested parties are encouraged to 
submit written comments, questions, and concerns about the project for 
FirstNet's consideration or to attend any of the public meetings. 
Written comments may be submitted electronically via 
www.regulations.gov, FIRSTNET-2016-0002, or by mail to Amanda Goebel 
Pereira, NEPA Coordinator, First Responder Network Authority, National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, M/S 243, Reston, VA 20192. 
Comments received will be made a part of the public record and may be 
posted to FirstNet's Web site (www.firstnet.gov) without change. 
Comments should be machine readable and should not be copy-protected. 
All personally identifiable information (e.g., name, address) 
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do 
not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or 
protected information. The Draft PEIS is available for download from 
www.regulations.gov, FIRSTNET-2016-0002. A CD containing the electronic 
files of this document is also available at public libraries (see 
Chapter 22 of the Draft PEIS for the complete distribution list). See 
SUPPLMENTARY INFORMATION section for public meeting addresses.

[[Page 27410]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information on the Draft 
PEIS, contact Amanda Goebel Pereira, NEPA Coordinator, First Responder 
Network Authority, National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 12201 Sunrise Valley 
Drive, M/S 243, Reston, VA 20192.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Meetings

    Attendees can obtain information regarding the project and/or 
submit a comment in person during public meetings. The meeting details 
are as follows:

 Washington, DC, May 16, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., 200 I St. 
SE., 1st Floor, Washington, DC 20003
 Annapolis, MD, May 19, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Children's 
Theater of Annapolis, 1661 Bay Head Rd., Annapolis, MD 21409
 Bangor, ME, May 24, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Bangor Public 
Library, 145 Harlow St., Bangor, ME 04401
 New York City, NY, May 24, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., New 
York Marriott Marquis, 160 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019
 Boston, MA, May 25, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Boston 
Offices, Exchange Place Boston, 53 State St., Boston, MA 02109
 New Haven, CT, May 25, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., New Haven 
Public Library, Ives Main Branch, 133 Elm St., New Haven, CT 06510
 Providence, RI, May 26, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Rhode 
Island Convention Center, 1 Sabin St., Providence, RI 02903
 Albany, NY, May 26, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Albany Public 
Library, Arbor Hill/West Hill Branch, 148 Henry Johnson Blvd., Albany, 
NY 12210
 Richmond, VA, May 31, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., T. Edward 
Temple Building, 901 W. Main St., Richmond, VA 23219
 Burlington, VT, May 31, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Fletcher 
Free Library, 235 College St., Burlington, VT 05401
 Manchester, NH, June 1, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., 
Manchester Historic Association, Millyard Museum, 200 Bedford St., 
Manchester, NH 03101
 Charleston, WV, June 2, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., 
Charleston Civic Center, 200 Civic Center Dr., Charleston, WV 25301
 Harrisburg, PA, June 14, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Madeline 
L. Olewine Memorial Library, 2410 N. Third St., Harrisburg, PA 17110
 Trenton, NJ, June 15, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., New Jersey 
State Museum, 205 W. State St., Trenton, NJ, 08608
 Dover, DE, June 16, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Dover Public 
Library, 35 E. Loockerman St., Dover, DE 19901

Background

    The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Pub. L. 
112-96, Title VI, 126 Stat. 156 (codified at 47 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.)) 
(the ``Act'') created and authorized FirstNet to take all actions 
necessary to ensure the building, deployment, and operation of an 
interoperable, nationwide public safety broadband network (``NPSBN'') 
based on a single, national network architecture. The Act meets a 
longstanding and critical national infrastructure need, to create a 
single, nationwide network that will, for the first time, allow police 
officers, fire fighters, emergency medical service professionals, and 
other public safety entities to effectively communicate with each other 
across agencies and jurisdictions. The NPSBN is intended to enhance the 
ability of the public safety community to perform more reliably, 
effectively, and safely; increase situational awareness during an 
emergency; and improve the ability of the public safety community to 
effectively engage in those critical activities.
    The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321-4347) 
(``NEPA'') requires federal agencies to undertake an assessment of 
environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making a final 
decision and implementing the action. NEPA requirements apply to any 
federal project, decision, or action that may have a significant impact 
on the quality of the human environment. NEPA also establishes the 
Council on Environmental Quality (``CEQ''), which issued regulations 
implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (see 40 CFR parts 1500-
1508). Among other considerations, CEQ regulations at 40 CFR 1508.28 
recommend the use of tiering from a ``broader environmental impact 
statement (such as a national program or policy statements) with 
subsequent narrower statements or environmental analysis (such as 
regional or basin wide statements or ultimately site-specific 
statements) incorporating by reference the general discussions and 
concentrating solely on the issues specific to the statement 
subsequently prepared.''
    Due to the geographic scope of FirstNet (all 50 states, the 
District of Columbia, and five territories) and the diversity of 
ecosystems potentially traversed by the project, FirstNet has elected 
to prepare five regional PEISs. The five PEISs will be divided into the 
East, Central, West, South, and Non-Contiguous Regions. The East Region 
consists of Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, 
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, 
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. The 
Draft PEIS analyzes potential impacts of the deployment and operation 
of the NPSBN on the natural and human environment in the East Region, 
in accordance with FirstNet's responsibilities under NEPA.

Next Steps

    All comments received by the public and any interested stakeholders 
will be evaluated and considered by FirstNet during the preparation of 
the Final PEIS. Once a PEIS is completed and a Record of Decision (ROD) 
is signed, FirstNet will evaluate site-specific documentation, as 
network design is developed, to determine if the proposed project has 
been adequately evaluated in the PEIS or warrants a Categorical 
Exclusion, an Environmental Assessment, or an Environmental Impact 
Statement.

    Dated: May 3, 2016.
Amanda Goebel Pereira,
NEPA Coordinator, First Responder Network Authority.
[FR Doc. 2016-10698 Filed 5-5-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-TL-P