PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission News Media Information: 202-418-0500 445 12th Street, S.W. Internet: http://www.fcc.gov Washington, D.C. 20554 TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 13-1488 Released: July 1, 2013 BUREAU ANNOUNCES 2013-2014 STATE ALLOCATIONS FOR THE NATIONAL DEAF-BLIND EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM Washington, D.C. – The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announces the state funding allocations for the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP) for the 2013-2014 Fund year. The NDBEDP is a program mandated by section 105 of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) that provides funding of up to $10 million annually for the distribution of communications equipment to low-income individuals who are deaf- blind.1 On April 4, 2011, the Commission adopted the NDBEDP Pilot Order, establishing the framework for a pilot program to fulfill this CVAA mandate.2 In that Order, the Commission determined that it would certify one entity per state as eligible to receive support for the local distribution of equipment to low-income individuals who are deaf-blind.3 On July 2, 2012, after an application and selection process, the Commission announced the entities that had been selected as certified programs to participate in the NDBEDP and informed them of the respective state allocations for the 2012-2013 Fund year.4 For each year of the pilot program, the Commission sets aside $500,000 of the $10 million (annually allocated for the NDBEDP) for national outreach efforts.5 The remaining $9.5 million of annual funding is used to reimburse NDBEDP certified programs for the reasonable costs of operating their programs in compliance with the Commission’s NDBEDP rules.6 Funding allocations for the 2012- 1 Pub. L. 111-260, 124 Stat. 2751 (2010); see also Pub. L. 111-265, 124 Stat. 2795 (2010) (providing technical corrections to the CVAA). Section 105 of the CVAA adds Section 719 to the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and is codified at 47 U.S.C. § 620. The CVAA allows the Commission to allocate these funds from the Interstate Telecommunications Relay Service Fund (TRS Fund). 2 See Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, Section 105, Relay Services for Deaf-Blind Individuals, CG Docket No. 10-210, Report and Order, 26 FCC Rcd 5640 (2011) (NDBEDP Pilot Order). The NDBEDP pilot will run for two years, with an option for the Commission to extend the program for another year. Id. at 5649, ¶ 22. 3 Id. at 5646, ¶ 12. 4 Commission Announces Entities Certified to Participate in the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program, Public Notice, DA 12-1050, 27 FCC Rcd 7397 (July 2, 2012). 5 See NDBEDP Pilot Order, 26 FCC Rcd at 5675-76, ¶ 80. The Commission announced the selection of the Perkins School for the Blind to conduct national outreach efforts to promote the NDBEDP pilot. See Perkins School for the Blind to Conduct National Outreach for the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program, Public Notice, DA 12-910 (June 8, 2012). For this effort, the Perkins School for the Blind is partnering with the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults, FableVision, Inc., and other national and local consumer groups, parent groups, agencies, and associations. Id. 6 NDBEDP Pilot Order, 26 FCC Rcd at 5677, ¶ 85. 22013 Fund year were calculated by allocating a minimum base amount of $50,000 for each jurisdiction plus a portion of the remaining available funding in an amount proportionate to the population of each jurisdiction.7 Allocations for the 2013-2014 Fund year were calculated by using the same formula with the most current census population estimates and appear below:8 State NDBEDP Certified Program Funding Allocation for 2013-2014 Alabama Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind $153,973 Alaska Assistive Technology of Alaska $65,772 Arizona Perkins School for the Blind $191,302 Arkansas Perkins School for the Blind $113,589 California Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired $870,252 Colorado Colorado Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing $161,855 Connecticut Connecticut Tech Act Project $127,415 Delaware University of Delaware – Center For Disabilities Studies $69,774 Florida Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc. $466,527 Georgia Georgia Council for the Hearing Impaired $263,895 Hawaii Island Skill Gathering $80,021 Idaho University of Idaho – Idaho Assistive Technology Project $84,407 Illinois The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired $327,617 Indiana Indiana State University $190,958 Iowa Iowa Utilities Board $116,286 Kansas Assistive Technology for Kansans $112,226 Kentucky Eastern Kentucky University Center on Deafness and Hearing Loss $144,451 Louisiana Affiliated Blind of Louisiana Training Center $149,226 Maine Maine Center on Deafness $78,660 Maryland Perkins School for the Blind $176,883 Massachusetts Perkins School for the Blind $193,305 Michigan Michigan Commission for the Blind $263,106 Minnesota Minnesota Department of Human Services Deaf and Hard of Hearing Service Division $165,985 Mississippi The Arc of Mississippi $114,361 Missouri Missouri Assistive Technology $179,847 Montana Perkins School for the Blind $71,673 Nebraska Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing $90,009 Nevada To Be Determined $109,488 New Hampshire Northeast Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, Inc. $78,477 7 NDBEDP Pilot Order, 26 FCC Rcd at 5677, ¶ 84. The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau may adjust these allocations, as needed and appropriate. Id. at 5677, ¶¶ 85, 90. 8 Population figures for these calculations are derived from U.S. Census data. See Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012 (NST-EST2011- 01), available at http://www.census.gov/popest/data/state/totals/2012/tables/NST-EST2012-01.xls (last visited June 26, 2013). See also U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 for the U.S. Virgin Islands and the 2010 Census for the U.S. Virgin Islands available at http://www.census.gov/2010census/news/xls/cb11cn180_vi.xls (last visited June 27, 2013). 3State NDBEDP Certified Program Funding Allocation for 2013-2014 New Jersey New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired $241,139 New Mexico Perkins School for the Blind $94,969 New York Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults $471,975 North Carolina North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing $260,275 North Dakota Interagency Program for Assistive Technology $65,085 Ohio Ohio Deaf-Blind Outreach Program $298,917 Oklahoma Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services $132,255 Oregon Access Technologies, Inc. $134,078 Pennsylvania Institute on Disabilities – Temple University $325,208 Rhode Island Perkins School for the Blind $72,646 South Carolina Perkins School for the Blind $151,853 South Dakota South Dakota Department of Human Services $67,969 Tennessee Tennessee Regulatory Authority $189,210 Texas Perkins School for the Blind $611,890 Utah Utah Public Service Commission $111,566 Vermont Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing $63,498 Virginia Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing $226,504 Washington Department of Social and Health Services – Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing $198,714 West Virginia Perkins School for the Blind $90,007 Wisconsin Public Service Commission of Wisconsin $173,473 Wyoming Wyoming Institute for Disabilities – University of Wyoming $62,429 Washington, DC Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind $63,634 Puerto Rico Perkins School for the Blind $129,070 U.S. Virgin Islands Perkins School for the Blind $52,294 ACCESSIBLE FORMATS: To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jackie Ellington, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, 202-418-1153, e-mail Jackie.Ellington@fcc.gov; or Rosaline Crawford, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, 202-418-2075, e-mail Rosaline.Crawford@fcc.gov. -FCC-