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 14-947 Released: July 1, 2014 BUREAU ANNOUNCES 2014-2015 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 2014-2015 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 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, Report and Order, 26 FCC Rcd 5640 (2011) (NDBEDP Pilot Order). The NDBEDP pilot program was established to run for two years, with an option for the Commission to extend the pilot for another year. Id. at 5649, ¶ 22. The Commission recently extended the pilot program for a third year. See Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, Section 105, Relay Services for Deaf-Blind Individuals, Public Notice, 29 FCC Rcd 1234 (CGB 2014). 3 NDBEDP Pilot Order at 5646, ¶ 12. 4 Commission Announces Entities Certified to Participate in the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program, Public Notice, 27 FCC Rcd 7397 (CGB 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, 27 FCC Rcd 6143 (CGB 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. 2their programs in compliance with the Commission’s NDBEDP rules.6 Funding allocations for the 2012- 2013 and 2013-2014 Fund years 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 2014-2015 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 2014-2015 Alabama Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind $ 153,520 Alaska Assistive Technology of Alaska $ 65,744 Arizona Perkins School for the Blind $ 191,918 Arkansas Perkins School for the Blind $ 113,379 California Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired $ 870,939 Colorado Colorado Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing $ 162,829 Connecticut Connecticut Tech Act Project $ 127,015 Delaware University of Delaware – Center For Disabilities Studies $ 69,826 Florida Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc. $ 468,749 Georgia Georgia Council for the Hearing Impaired $ 263,995 Hawaii Island Skill Gathering $ 80,070 Idaho University of Idaho – Idaho Assistive Technology Project $ 84,526 Illinois The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired $ 325,887 Indiana To Be Determined $ 190,724 Iowa Iowa Utilities Board $ 116,185 Kansas Assistive Technology for Kansans $ 111,978 Kentucky Eastern Kentucky University Center on Deafness and Hearing Loss $ 144,131 Louisiana Affiliated Blind of Louisiana Training Center $ 149,060 Maine Maine Center on Deafness $ 78,447 Maryland Perkins School for the Blind $ 176,973 Massachusetts Perkins School for the Blind $ 193,335 Michigan Michigan Commission for the Blind $ 261,927 Minnesota To Be Determined $ 166,084 Mississippi Perkins School for the Blind $ 114,060 Missouri Missouri Assistive Technology $ 179,444 Montana Perkins School for the Blind $ 71,741 Nebraska Nebraska Assistive Technology Partnership $ 90,017 Nevada Perkins School for the Blind $ 109,754 6 NDBEDP Pilot Order, 26 FCC Rcd at 5677, ¶ 85. 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 National, State, and Puerto Rico Commonwealth Totals Datasets: Population change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013 (NST-EST2013-popchg2010- 2013), available at http://www.census.gov/popest/data/national/totals/2013/NST-EST2013-popchg2010-2013.html (last visited June 18, 2014). 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 18, 2014). 3State NDBEDP Certified Program Funding Allocation for 2014-2015 New Hampshire Northeast Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, Inc. $ 78,344 New Jersey New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired $ 240,591 New Mexico Perkins School for the Blind $ 94,659 New York Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults $ 470,854 North Carolina North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing $ 260,909 North Dakota Interagency Program for Assistive Technology $ 65,492 Ohio Ohio Deaf-Blind Outreach Program $ 297,804 Oklahoma Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services $ 132,465 Oregon Access Technologies, Inc. $ 134,167 Pennsylvania Institute on Disabilities – Temple University $ 323,567 Rhode Island Perkins School for the Blind $ 72,519 South Carolina Perkins School for the Blind $ 152,259 South Dakota South Dakota Department of Human Services $ 68,094 Tennessee Tennessee Regulatory Authority $ 189,120 Texas Perkins School for the Blind $ 616,422 Utah Utah Public Service Commission $ 112,126 Vermont Perkins School for the Blind $ 63,420 Virginia Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing $ 226,907 Washington Department of Social and Health Services – Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing $ 199,301 West Virginia Perkins School for the Blind $ 89,712 Wisconsin Public Service Commission of Wisconsin $ 172,987 Wyoming Wyoming Institute for Disabilities – University of Wyoming $ 62,478 Washington, DC Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind $ 63,845 Puerto Rico Perkins School for the Blind $ 127,422 U.S. Virgin Islands Perkins School for the Blind $ 52,279 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-