[United States Government Manual]
[May 31, 1996]
[Pages 162-163]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



National Telecommunications and Information Administration

[For the National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
statement of organization, see the Federal Register of June 5, 1978, 43 
FR 24348]

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) 
was established in 1978 pursuant to Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1977 (5 
U.S.C. app.) and Executive Order 12046 of March 27, 1978 (3 CFR, 1978 
Comp., p. 158), by combining the Office of Telecommunications Policy, 
Executive Office of the President, and the Department of Commerce's 
Office of Telecommunications to form a new agency reporting to the 
Secretary of Commerce. Its functions are detailed in the National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act (47 
U.S.C. 901 et. seq.).
    The Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) was 
transferred to NTIA in 1979 from the Department of Health, Education, 
and Welfare pursuant to the Public Telecommunications Financing Act of 
1978 (47 U.S.C. 390 et seq.), to take advantage of NTIA's technical and 
policy expertise. Also, NTIA administers the National Endowment for 
Children's Educational Television under title 47 United States Code, 
section 394.
    The Administration's principal responsibilities and functions 
include:
    --serving as the principal executive branch adviser to the President 
on

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telecommunications and information policy;
    --developing and presenting U.S. plans and policies at international 
communications conferences and related meetings;
    --prescribing policies for and managing Federal use of the radio 
frequency spectrum, in accordance with Executive Order 12046, issued 
under section 305 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (47 
U.S.C. 305);
    --serving as the principal Federal telecommunications research and 
engineering laboratory, through NTIA's Institute for Telecommunication 
Sciences (ITS), headquartered in Boulder, Colorado;
    --providing grants through the Telecommunications and Information 
Infrastructure Assistance Program for planning and demonstration 
projects to promote the goals of the development and widespread 
availability of advanced telecommunications technologies, to enhance the 
delivery of social services and generally serve the public interest, to 
promote access to government information and increase civic 
participation, and to support the development of an advanced nationwide 
telecommunications and information infrastructure;
    --providing grants through the Public Telecommunications Facilities 
Program to extend delivery of public telecommunications services to U.S. 
citizens, to increase ownership and management by women and minorities, 
and to strengthen the capabilities of existing public broadcasting 
stations to provide telecommunications services; and
    --monitoring grants awarded through the National Endowment for 
Children's Educational Television to enhance the creation and production 
of educational television programming for children to develop 
fundamental intellectual skills.

For further information, contact the National Telecommunications and 
Information Administration, Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 
20230. Phone, 202-482-1551.