[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 140 (Friday, July 22, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43795-43796]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-15672]



[[Page 43795]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program

AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, following the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the public and other Federal agencies to 
comment on proposed and continuing information collections, which helps 
us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and 
minimize the public's reporting burden. This Notice of Information 
Collection is for the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program Semi-
Annual Performance (Technical) Report and a Public Annual Report. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment 
preceding the submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before September 20, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Teri Caswell, Broadband Program Specialist, Grants Management and 
Compliance, at [email protected]. Please reference SDEPG Data 
Collection in the subject line of your comments. Do not submit 
Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected 
information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
Teri Caswell, Broadband Program Specialist, Grants Management and 
Compliance, Office of internet Connectivity and Growth, National 
Telecommunication and Information Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 4826, Washington, DC 20230, 
or by email to [email protected] or via telephone at (202) 482-
2048.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program (SDEPG), authorized 
by Section 60304(c) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 
2021, Public Law 117-58, 135 Stat. 429 (November 15, 2021) 
(Infrastructure Act or Act), provides new federal funding for grants to 
eligible applicants for the purpose of developing State Digital Equity 
Plans. Through these Plans, each State will, among other things, 
identify barriers to digital equity in the State and strategies for 
overcoming those barriers. Further, U.S. territories and possessions 
(other than Puerto Rico), Indian Tribes, Alaska Native entities, and 
Native Hawaiian organizations may also seek grants, cooperative 
agreements, or contracts to develop their own digital equity plans and, 
in the case of Tribal entities, to provide input into the digital 
equity plans of the States in which they are located. The purpose of 
SDEPG is to promote the achievement of digital equity, support digital 
inclusion activities, and build capacity for efforts by States relating 
to the adoption of broadband by residents of those States.
    On May 13, 2022, NTIA published the program's Notice of Funding 
Opportunity (NOFO) on internetforall.gov to describe the requirements 
under which it will award grants for the SDEPG.\1\ The NOFO required 
award recipients to submit financial reports, performance (technical) 
reports, and annual reports to the NTIA Federal Program Officer and the 
NIST Grants Officer and Grants Specialist. Award recipients must follow 
the reporting requirements described in Sections A.01, Reporting 
Requirement, of the Department of Commerce Financial Assistance 
Standard Terms and Conditions (dated November 12, 2020). Additionally, 
in accordance with 2 CFR part 170, all recipients of a federal award 
made on or after October 1, 2010, must comply with reporting 
requirements under the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency 
Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109-282).
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    \1\ See State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program (DE) Notice 
of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) (May 13, 2022), https://www.internetforall.gov/program/digital-equity-act-programs.
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    NTIA will use the information collected from each award recipient 
to effectively administer and monitor the grant program to ensure the 
achievement of Digital Equity program purposes and account for the 
expenditure of federal funds to deter waste, fraud, and abuse.

II. Method of Collection

State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program

    Award recipients will submit financial and performance reports on a 
semi-annual basis for the periods ending March 31st and September 30th 
of each year, and an annual report no later than one year after 
receiving grant funds and until they have expended all funds. NTIA will 
collect data through electronic submission.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0660-XXXX.
    Form Number(s): TBD.
    Type of Review: New information collection.
    Affected Public: Grant award recipients consisting of States, 
territories or possessions of the United States, Indian Tribes, Alaska 
Native entities, and Native Hawaiian organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 606.
    Estimated Time per Response: 33.22.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 60,393.96.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $2,882,603.71.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Section 60304(c) of the Infrastructure Investment 
and Jobs Act of 2021, Public Law 117-58, 135 Stat. 429 (November 15, 
2021).

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to:
    (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether 
the information will have practical utility.
    (b) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the time and cost 
burden for this proposed collection, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used.
    (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected.
    (d) Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to respond, 
including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including 
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available 
at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we

[[Page 43796]]

cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. 2022-15672 Filed 7-21-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P