PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: https://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 16-729 Released: June 28, 2016 CONSUMER AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS BUREAU ANNOUNCES 2016-2017 ALLOCATIONS FOR THE NATIONAL DEAF-BLIND EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM Washington, D.C. – The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB or Bureau) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announces the funding allocations for the National Deaf- Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP), also called “iCanConnect,” for the 2016-2017 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 In 2011, the Commission established the framework for a pilot program to fulfill this CVAA mandate. 2 The Bureau launched the NDBEDP pilot program on July 1, 2012. 3 At present, there are 53 entities certified by the Commission to participate in the NDBEDP – one entity to distribute communications equipment in each state, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 4 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 Program Order). The NDBEDP pilot program was established to run for two years, with an option for the Commission to extend it for another year. Id., 26 FCC Rcd at 5649, para. 22. In 2014, the Bureau 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). In 2015, the Commission extended the pilot program for an additional year, until June 30, 2016. See Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, Section 105, Relay Services for Deaf-Blind Individuals, Order, 30 FCC Rcd 5247 (2015). In 2016, the Commission extended the pilot program for an additional year, until June 30, 2017. See Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, Section 105, Relay Services for Deaf-Blind Individuals, Order, FCC 16-69 (rel. May 27, 2016). 3 Commission Announces Launch of the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program, Public Notice, 27 FCC Rcd 7403 (CGB 2012). 4 A full list of the entities currently certified to participate in the NDBEDP is provided below. Contact information for these entities is available at http://www.icanconnect.org/state-partners. 2For 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 each year of the pilot program have been 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 upcoming 2016-2017 fund year have been calculated by using the same formula, using the most current census population estimates. These allocations are as follows: 8 State NDBEDP Certified Program Funding Allocation for 2016-2017 Alabama Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind $152,413 Alaska Assistive Technology of Alaska $65,564 Arizona Perkins School for the Blind $193,915 Arkansas Perkins School for the Blind $112,771 California Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired $875,054 Colorado Colorado Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing $165,008 Connecticut Connecticut Tech Act Project $125,685 Delaware University of Delaware – Center For Disabilities Studies $69,937 Florida To Be Determined $477,257 Georgia Georgia Council for the Hearing Impaired $265,298 Hawaii Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults $80,174 Idaho University of Idaho – Idaho Assistive Technology Project $84,881 Illinois The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired $321,050 Indiana Perkins School for the Blind $189,523 Iowa Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults $115,842 Kansas Assistive Technology for Kansans $111,369 5 See NDBEDP Pilot Program Order, 26 FCC Rcd at 5675-76, para. 80. The Commission announced the selection of the Perkins School for the Blind to conduct national outreach efforts to promote the NDBEDP. 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. 6 NDBEDP Pilot Program Order, 26 FCC Rcd at 5677, para. 85; see also 47 CFR § 64.610. 7 NDBEDP Pilot Program Order, 26 FCC Rcd at 5677, para. 84. 8 Population figures for these calculations are derived from U.S. Census data. See Table 2. Cumulative Estimates of Resident Population Change for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico and Region and State Rankings: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015 (NST-EST2015-02) (released Dec. 2015), available at http://www.census.gov/popest/data/state/totals/2015/tables/NST-EST2015-02.xlsx (last viewed June 6, 2016). See also U.S. Census Bureau, Population of the U.S. Virgin Islands: 2000 and 2010, available at https://www.census.gov/2010census/news/xls/cb11cn180_vi.xls (last viewed June 6, 2016). The Bureau reviews funding data as it becomes available during the year and works with certified programs to reallocate funding between programs to maximize the use of available funding during each fund year. See NDBEDP Pilot Program Order, 26 FCC Rcd at 5677, 5679, paras. 85, 90. 3State NDBEDP Certified Program Funding Allocation for 2016-2017 Kentucky Eastern Kentucky University Center on Deafness and Hearing Loss $143,267 Louisiana Affiliated Blind of Louisiana Training Center $148,445 Maine Disability Rights Maine $78,018 Maryland Perkins School for the Blind $176,597 Massachusetts Perkins School for the Blind $193,206 Michigan Perkins School for the Blind $259,138 Minnesota Perkins School for the Blind $165,704 Mississippi Perkins School for the Blind $113,069 Missouri Missouri Assistive Technology $178,225 Montana Perkins School for the Blind $71,771 Nebraska Nebraska Assistive Technology Partnership $89,966 Nevada Perkins School for the Blind $110,930 New Hampshire Northeast Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, Inc. $78,045 New Jersey New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired $238,808 New Mexico Perkins School for the Blind $93,948 New York Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults $467,235 North Carolina North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing $261,672 North Dakota Interagency Program for Assistive Technology $65,954 Ohio Ohio Deaf-Blind Outreach Program $294,776 Oklahoma Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services $132,439 Oregon Access Technologies, Inc. $134,919 Pennsylvania Institute on Disabilities – Temple University $319,838 Rhode Island Perkins School for the Blind $72,264 South Carolina Perkins School for the Blind $153,196 South Dakota South Dakota Department of Human Services $68,094 Tennessee Tennessee Regulatory Authority $189,114 Texas Perkins School for the Blind $628,965 Utah Perkins School for the Blind $113,145 Vermont Perkins School for the Blind $63,195 Virginia Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired $226,688 Washington To Be Determined $201,129 West Virginia Perkins School for the Blind $88,869 Wisconsin Public Service Commission of Wisconsin $171,642 Wyoming Wyoming Institute for Disabilities – University of Wyoming $62,353 District of Columbia Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind $64,169 Puerto Rico Perkins School for the Blind $123,225 U.S. Virgin Islands Perkins School for the Blind $52,243 Total $9,500,000 4ACCESSIBLE 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, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, 202-418-1153, e-mail Jackie.Ellington@fcc.gov; or Rosaline Crawford, Disability Rights office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, 202-418-2075, e-mail Rosaline.Crawford@fcc.gov. -FCC-