NTIA seeks Comment on State Broadband Data and Development Performance Progress Reports Changes

On July 8, 2009, NTIA issued the Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) and Solicitation of Applications setting forth the requirements for the State Broadband Data and Development (SBDD) Grant Program, a competitive, merit-based matching grant program funding projects that collect comprehensive and accurate State-level broadband mapping data, develop State-level broadband maps, aid in the development and maintenance of a national broadband map, and fund statewide initiatives directed at broadband planning and capacity building.

The NOFA requires grantees to submit regular reports to NTIA. Specifically it states:
‘‘All grantees under this Program will provide quarterly reports on: (a) Achievement of project goals, objectives, and milestones (e.g., collection of a ‘‘substantially complete data set’’; completion of data review or quality control process) as set forth by the applicant in their application timeline;
expenditure of grant funds and how much of the award remains; amount of non-federal case or in-kind investment that is being added to complete the project; and whether the grantee is on schedule to provide broadband-related data in accordance with the mapping project timeline.”

After reviewing recent Performance Progress Reports (PPRs), NTIA has identified a need to revise its existing PPR format by changing existing questions and adding new questions to improve clarity, reduce the frequency with which some information is reported, and delete certain items that are not necessary for effective performance monitoring. The revisions will improve the quality of recipients’ responses and enable NTIA to better monitor and assess the extent to which the recipients are meeting program goals and milestones. NTIA has assessed that the revisions will not change the estimated response time on grantees.
The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the proposed revision and/or continuing information collections.

Written comments must be submitted on or before June 18, 2012.