Federal Communications Commission DA 23-352 DA 23-352 Released: April 25, 2023 2023-2024 ALLOCATIONS FOR THE NATIONAL DEAF-BLIND EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM CG Docket No. 10-210 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 deafblind, so that these individuals can access telecommunications service, Internet access service, and advanced communications services. 47 U.S.C. § 620; see also 47 CFR §§ 64.6201-64.6219; 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, 31 FCC Rcd 9178 (2016) (NDBEDP Permanent Program Order). By this notice, the Commission’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) announces the funding allocations for the NDBEDP for 2023-2024. The fund year for the NDBEDP runs from July 1 through June 30 of the following year, which coincides with the TRS Fund year. See generally 47 CFR § 64.604(c)(5)(iii)(H). As directed by the NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, for 2023-2024, CGB will set aside $250,000 for national outreach efforts to be conducted by the Perkins School for the Blind. See NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 9236-37, 9242, paras. 135, 149. In addition, pursuant to that order, CGB will set aside $150,000 towards the maintenance of the centralized database to be used by certified programs for reporting and reimbursement purposes. See id. 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); 47 CFR § 64.6205 (directing CGB to designate an NDBEDP Administrator to determine annual funding allocations and reallocations). The remaining $9,600,000 of funding for 2023-2024 will be used to reimburse certified programs for the cost of equipment and authorized related services, up to each certified program’s funding allocation. See 47 CFR § 64.6213. Pursuant to the NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, initial funding allocations for 2023-2024 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. NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 9242, para. 149. CGB reminds certified entities that the below 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 TRS Fund year and (2) involuntary reallocations when individual program performance indicates that NDBEDP funds could be more fully utilized by other certified programs. NDBEDP Permanent Program Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 9244, para. 153. The initial allocations for the 56 covered jurisdictions are as follows: Population figures for these calculations are derived from U.S. Census data. See U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022 (NST-EST2022-POP), https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2022/state/totals/NST-EST2022-POP.xlsx (accessed Apr. 3, 2023); U.S. Census Bureau, Table 1. Population of Guam: 2010 and 2020, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/island-areas/guam/population-and-housing-unit-counts/guam-phc-table01.pdf (Oct. 28, 2021); U.S. Census Bureau, Table 1. Population of Guam: 2010 and 2020, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/island-areas/american-samoa/population-and-housing-unit-counts/american-samoa-phc-table01.pdf (Oct. 28, 2021); U.S. Census Bureau, Table 1. Population of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: 2010 and 2020, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/island-areas/commonwealth-of-the-northern-mariana-islands/population-and-housing-unit-counts/commonwealth-northern-mariana-islands-phc-table01.pdf (Oct. 28, 2021); U.S. Census Bureau, Table 1. Population of the United States Virgin Islands: 2010 and 2020, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/island-areas/us-virgin-islands/population-and-housing-unit-counts/us-virgin-islands-phc-table01.pdf (Oct. 28, 2021).   State NDBEDP Certified Program 2023-2024 Alabama Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind $152,436 Alaska Assistive Technology of Alaska $64,809 Arizona Perkins School for the Blind $198,561 Arkansas Perkins School for the Blind $111,483 California Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired $837,893 Colorado Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind $167,892 Connecticut Connecticut Tech Act Project $123,203 Delaware University of Delaware – Center for Disabilities Studies $70,559 Florida Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults $499,060 Georgia Georgia Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing $270,300 Hawaii Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults $79,073 Idaho University of Idaho – Center on Disabilities and Human Development $89,144 Illinois Lester and Rosalie Anixter Center (Chicago Hearing Society) $303,996 Indiana Perkins School for the Blind $187,940 Iowa Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults $114,609 Kansas Assistive Technology for Kansans $109,293 Kentucky Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults $141,091 Louisiana Affiliated Blind of Louisiana Training Center $142,664 Maine Perkins School for the Blind $77,966 Maryland Perkins School for the Blind $174,447 Massachusetts Perkins School for the Blind $190,946 Michigan Perkins School for the Blind $252,560 Minnesota Perkins School for the Blind $165,414 Mississippi Perkins School for the Blind $109,351 Missouri Missouri Assistive Technology $174,716 Montana Perkins School for the Blind $72,668 Nebraska Nebraska Assistive Technology Partnership $89,727 Nevada Perkins School for the Blind $114,150 New Hampshire Northeast Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, Inc. $78,166 New Jersey New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired $236,968 New Mexico Perkins School for the Blind $92,662 New York Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults $447,226 North Carolina North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing $265,982 North Dakota North Dakota Assistive $65,731 Ohio Perkins School for the Blind $287,322 Oklahoma Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services $131,148 Oregon Access Technologies, Inc. $135,596 Pennsylvania Institute on Disabilities – Temple University $311,868 Rhode Island Perkins School for the Blind $72,079 South Carolina Perkins School for the Blind $156,642 South Dakota South Dakota Department of Human Services $68,367 Tennessee Tennessee Public Utility Commission $192,347 Texas Perkins School for the Blind $656,213 Utah Perkins School for the Blind $118,249 Vermont Perkins School for the Blind $63,062 Virginia Perkins School for the Blind $225,298 Washington Perkins School for the Blind $207,173 West Virginia Perkins School for the Blind $85,835 Wisconsin Wisconsin Bureau of Aging and Disability Resources $168,954 Wyoming Wyoming Institute for Disabilities – University of Wyoming $61,736 Other Jurisdictions NDBEDP Certified Program 2032-2024 District of Columbia TCS Access $63,562 American Samoa Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults $51,004 Guam Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults $53,106 Northern Mariana Islands Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youth and Adults $50,955 Puerto Rico Perkins School for the Blind $115,039 U.S. Virgin Islands Perkins School for the Blind $51,759 Subtotal $9,600,000 National Outreach $250,000 Centralized Database Maintenance $150,000 Total $10,000,000 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. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Jackie Ellington, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, at 202-418-1153 or Jackie.Ellington@fcc.gov. -FCC- 2