PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 17-616 Released: June 23, 2017 2017-2018 ALLOCATIONS FOR THE NATIONAL DEAF-BLIND EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM Under the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP), also called “iCanConnect,” the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) may provide up to $10 million annually from the Interstate Telecommunications Relay Service Fund (TRS Fund) to support local programs that distribute equipment to eligible low-income individuals who are deaf-blind, so that these individuals can access telecommunications service, Internet access service, and advanced communications services. 1 By this notice, the Commission’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) announces the funding allocations for the NDBEDP for Fund year 2017-2018. 2 On August 4, 2016, the FCC adopted rules to convert the NDBEDP from a pilot program to a permanent program as of July 1, 2017. 3 Pursuant to these rules, CGB certified a single entity for each state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as the sole entity for that jurisdiction to administer the NDBEDP and receive reimbursement for NDBEDP activities from the TRS Fund. 4 As directed by the NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, during the 2017-2018 Fund year, CGB will set aside $250,000 for national outreach efforts to be conducted by the Perkins School for the Blind. 5 In addition, pursuant to that order, CGB will set aside $100,000 towards the development of a centralized 1 47 U.S.C. § 620. 2 Each Fund year for the NDBEDP runs from July 1 of each year through June 30 of the following year. This coincides with the Fund year for TRS. See generally 47 CFR § 64.604(c)(5)(iii)(H). 3 Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, Section 105, Relay Services for Deaf-Blind Individuals, Report and Order, 31 FCC Rcd 9178 (2016) (NDBEDP Permanent Program Order); see also 47 CFR §§ 64.6201-64.6219. 4 47 CFR § 64.6207; see also NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 9184, para. 9; Commission Announces Entities Certified to Participate in the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program for 13 States and Territories, CG Docket 10-210, Public Notice, DA 17-460 (CGB May 12, 2017); Commission Announces Entities Certified to Participate in the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program for 12 States, CG Docket 10-210, Public Notice, DA 17-495 (CGB May 22, 2017); Commission Announces Entities Certified to Participate in the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program for 13 Additional States and Territories, CG Docket 10-210, Public Notice, DA 17- 549 (CGB June 6, 2017); Commission Announces Entities Certified to Participate in the National Deaf- Blind Equipment Distribution Program for 8 Additional States and the District of Columbia, CG Docket 10-210, Public Notice, DA 17-596 (CGB June 20, 2017); Commission Announces Entities Certified to Participate in the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program for 9 Additional States, CG Docket 10-210, Public Notice, DA 17-605 (CGB June 21, 2017). 5 See NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 9236-37, 9242, paras. 135, 149. 2database that certified programs will be required to use to submit information about their NDBEDP- related activities for reporting purposes, and may use for the generation of reimbursement claims. 6 The remaining $9.65 million of funding for the 2017-2018 Fund year will be used to reimburse certified programs for the cost of equipment and authorized related services, up to each certified program’s funding allocation. 7 Pursuant to the NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, initial funding allocations for the upcoming Fund year are calculated by providing 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 that jurisdiction. 8 The initial allocations for the 56 covered jurisdictions are as follows: 9 State NDBEDP Certified Program 2017-2018 Alabama Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind $151,903 Alaska Assistive Technology of Alaska $65,545 Arizona Perkins School for the Blind $195,230 Arkansas Perkins School for the Blind $112,614 California Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired $872,426 Colorado Colorado Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing $166,094 Connecticut Connecticut Tech Act Project $124,939 Delaware University of Delaware – Center for Disabilities Studies $69,949 Florida Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults $481,903 6 See NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 9242, 9250-51, paras. 149, 169 (authorizing CGB to allocate an amount necessary from the $10 million available annually from the TRS Fund for the NDBEDP for the development and maintenance of the centralized database). During the first year of the permanent program, 2017-2018, CGB and the NDBEDP Administrator will coordinate with the FCC’s Office of Managing Director and Chief Information Officer, as well as with NDBEDP certified programs that will use or access the database, as appropriate, to identify the data elements, structure of the database, and other implementation details in accordance with the NDBEDP Permanent Program Order. See id., 31 FCC Rcd at 9250-51, 9264-65, paras. 169, 202. CGB may reallocate to certified programs all or part of the funds set aside for this purpose if it determines that they will not be used during the 2017-2018 Fund year. See 47 CFR § 64.6205 (directing CGB to designate an NDBEDP Administrator to determine annual funding allocations and reallocations). In subsequent years, it is expected that additional funds will be allocated for the production, testing, implementation, and maintenance of the centralized database. 7 See 47 C.F.R. § 64.6213. 8 NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 9242, para. 149. 9 Population figures for these calculations are derived from U.S. Census data. See U.S. Census Bureau, Population, population change, and estimated components of population change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2016 (NST-EST2016- alldata), https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2010-2016/national/totals/nst-est2016- alldata.csv (Dec. 16, 2016); U.S. Census Bureau, Table 1b, Population, Housing Units, Land Area, and Density by Place for American Samoa: 2010, https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2010/cph-t/t-8tables/table1b.pdf (Oct. 28, 2013); U.S. Census Bureau, Table 3b, Population, Housing Units, Land Area, and Density by Place for Guam: 2010, https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2010/cph-t/t-8tables/table3b.pdf (Oct. 28, 2013); U.S. Census Bureau, Table 2b, Population, Housing Units, Land Area, and Density by Place for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: 2010, https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2010/cph-t/t-8tables/table2b.pdf (Oct. 28, 2013); U.S. Census Bureau, Table 4b, Population, Housing Units, Land Area, and Density by Place for the U.S. Virgin Islands: 2010, https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2010/cph-t/t-8tables/table4b.pdf (Oct. 28, 2013). 3State NDBEDP Certified Program 2017-2018 Georgia Georgia Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing $266,039 Hawaii Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults $79,933 Idaho University of Idaho – Center on Disabilities and Human Development $85,268 Illinois The Chicago Lighthouse Serving the Blind, Visually Impaired, Disabled and Veteran Communities $318,237 Indiana Perkins School for the Blind $188,986 Iowa Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults $115,683 Kansas Assistive Technology for Kansans $110,918 Kentucky Eastern Kentucky University $142,970 Louisiana Affiliated Blind of Louisiana Training Center $148,097 Maine Disability Rights Maine $77,899 Maryland Perkins School for the Blind $176,066 Massachusetts Perkins School for the Blind $192,731 Michigan Perkins School for the Blind $258,033 Minnesota Perkins School for the Blind $165,663 Mississippi Perkins School for the Blind $112,624 Missouri Missouri Assistive Technology $177,670 Montana Perkins School for the Blind $71,845 Nebraska Nebraska Assistive Technology Partnership $89,961 Nevada Perkins School for the Blind $111,605 New Hampshire Northeast Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, Inc. $77,969 New Jersey New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired $237,418 New Mexico Perkins School for the Blind $93,605 New York Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults $463,733 North Carolina North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing $262,611 North Dakota North Dakota Assistive $65,882 Ohio Perkins School for the Blind $293,362 Oklahoma Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services $132,212 Oregon Access Technologies, Inc. $135,773 Pennsylvania Institute on Disabilities – Temple University $317,875 Rhode Island Perkins School for the Blind $72,136 4State NDBEDP Certified Program 2017-2018 South Carolina Perkins School for the Blind $153,953 South Dakota South Dakota Department of Human Services $68,134 Tennessee Tennessee Public Utility Commission $189,366 Texas Perkins School for the Blind $633,820 Utah Perkins School for the Blind $113,934 Vermont Perkins School for the Blind $63,087 Virginia Perkins School for the Blind $226,257 Washington Perkins School for the Blind $202,709 West Virginia Perkins School for the Blind $88,368 Wisconsin Wisconsin Bureau of Aging and Disability Resources $171,084 Wyoming Wyoming Institute for Disabilities – University of Wyoming $62,268 Other Jurisdictions NDBEDP Certified Program 2017-2018 District of Columbia Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind $64,273 American Samoa Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults $51,163 Guam Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults $53,339 Northern Mariana Islands Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults $51,129 Puerto Rico Perkins School for the Blind $121,479 U.S. Virgin Islands Perkins School for the Blind $52,230 Subtotal $9,650,000 National Outreach $250,000 Centralized Database $100,000 Total $10,000,000 CGB reminds certified entities that the above amounts are intended to serve as initial allocations only. To maximize available funds under the NDBEDP, CGB may make (1) voluntary reallocations between certified programs at any time during the Fund year and (2) involuntary reallocations when individual program performance indicates that NDBEDP funds could be more fully utilized by other certified programs. 10 10 NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 9244, para. 153. 5ACCESSIBLE 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-