[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 154 (Wednesday, August 10, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49485-49486]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-20296]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Announcement of Requirements and Registration for ``Lifeline 
Facebook App Challenge''

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and 
Response, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The ``Lifeline Facebook App Challenge'' is a challenge aimed 
at multidisciplinary teams of technology developers, entrepreneurs, and 
members of the disaster preparedness, response and recovery communities 
to use Facebook as a platform for connecting individuals together 
through an application (app) that will provide actionable steps for 
Facebook users to increase their own personal preparedness and 
strengthen connections within their social networks for the sake of 
personal preparedness and community resilience. This challenge will 
provide useful tools for public health promotion and protection, a key 
goal for the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) 
in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

DATES: Effective on August 8, 2011. Submission period for initial 
entries begins 12:01 am, EDT, August 15th, 2011, and ends 11:59 pm, 
EDT, September 15th, 2011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stacy Elmer, 202-205-4246.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of the Assistant Secretary for 
Preparedness and Response (formerly the Office of Public Health 
Emergency Preparedness) was created under the Pandemic and All Hazards 
Preparedness Act (PAHPA) in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to lead the 
nation in preventing, preparing for, and responding to the adverse 
health effects of public health emergencies and disasters. ASPR focuses 
on preparedness planning and response; building Federal emergency 
medical operational capabilities; countermeasures research, advance 
development, and procurement; and grants to strengthen the capabilities 
of hospitals and health care systems in public health emergencies and 
medical disasters. The office provides Federal support, including 
medical professionals through ASPR's National Disaster Medical System, 
to augment state and local capabilities during an emergency or 
disaster. Under the PAHPA, HHS is the lead agency for the National 
Response Framework for Emergency Support Function 8 (ESF). The 
Secretary of HHS delegates to ASPR the leadership role for all health 
and medical services support functions in a health emergency or public 
health event.
    The statutory authority for this challenge competition is Section 
105 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (Pub. L. No. 
111-358).
    Subject of Challenge Competition: Entrants in the ``Lifeline 
Facebook App Challenge'' are asked to develop an application that 
leverages Facebook's

[[Page 49486]]

function as a communication tool used by many Americans on a day-to-day 
basis for connecting with friends and strengthening social networks in 
order to enhance individuals' ability to be prepared for disasters. The 
app should integrate the concepts of disaster preparedness and 
community resilience into an app that better prepares individuals for 
disasters, thereby strengthening national health security--a key 
priority for HHS. More information about these priority areas can be 
found at: http://www.phe.gov.
    Entrants are required to develop an app that enables a Facebook 
user to invite three Facebook friends to become `Lifelines,' or points 
of contact who agree to act as a source of support during disasters. 
Entrants are encouraged to creatively leverage Facebook's existing 
networking and geo-locating capabilities to enhance the app's ability 
to increase personal preparedness, locate potential disaster victims, 
and streamline information sharing among social networks during 
disasters.
    Eligibility rules for participating in the competition: To be 
eligible to win a prize under this challenge, an individual or entity 
shall have complied with all requirements under this section titled 
Eligibility Rules for Participating:
    (1) Shall have registered to participate in the competition under 
the rules promulgated by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for 
Preparedness and Response;
    (2) In the case of a private entity, shall be incorporated in and 
maintain a primary place of business in the United States, and in the 
case of an individual, whether participating singly or in a group, 
shall be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States; and
    (3) May not be a Federal entity or Federal employee acting within 
the scope of their employment.
    An individual or entity shall not be deemed ineligible because the 
individual or entity used Federal facilities or consulted with Federal 
employees during a competition if the facilities and employees are made 
available to all individuals and entities participating in the 
competition on an equitable basis.
    To be eligible to win a prize under this challenge, registered 
participants shall be required to sign a liability release in which 
they agree to assume any and all risks and waive claims against the 
Federal Government and its related entities, except in the case of 
willful misconduct, for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property, 
revenue, or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential, 
arising from their participation in a competition, whether the injury, 
death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or otherwise.
    As part of the registration process, registered participants shall 
agree to obtain liability insurance or demonstrate financial 
responsibility at the time of their entry, in amounts determined by the 
head of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and, for 
claims by--
    (1) A third party for death, bodily injury, or property damage, or 
loss resulting from an activity carried out in connection with 
participation in a competition, with the Federal Government named as an 
additional insured under the registered participant's insurance policy 
and registered participants agreeing to indemnify the Federal 
Government against third party claims for damages arising from or 
related to competition activities;
    (2) The Federal Government for damage or loss to Government 
property resulting from such an activity.
    (3) As a condition for eligibility, participants will be required 
to sign an indemnification agreement as a part of the contest 
registration process, agreeing to indemnify the Federal Government 
against third party claims for damages arising from or related to 
competition activities.
    All participants are required to provide written consent to the 
eligibility rules in this section upon or before submitting an entry. 
Instructions for providing written consent will be provided during the 
registration process.
    Dates:
    <bullet> Submission Period for Initial Entries Begins: 12:01 a.m., 
EDT, August 15th, 2011.
    <bullet> Submission Period for Initial Entries Ends: 11:59 p.m., 
EDT, September 15th, 2011.
    Registration process for participants:
    To register for this challenge participants should:
    <bullet> Access the http://www.challenge.gov Web site and search 
for the ``Lifeline Facebook App Challenge''.
    <bullet> For more information on ASPR, visit:
    [cir] http://www.phe.gov
    Amount of the prize:
    <bullet> First prize will receive $10,000.
    <bullet> Second prize $5,000.
    <bullet> Third prize $1,000.
    Basis upon which winner will be selected:
    The judging panel will make selections based upon the criteria 
found in the challenge at http://www.challenge.gov which will post 
shortly.

Additional Information

    Intellectual property:
    Ownership of intellectual property is determined by the following:
    <bullet> Each entrant retains title and full ownership in and to 
their submission. Entrants expressly reserve all intellectual property 
rights not expressly granted under the challenge agreement.
    License:
    Each entrant retains title and full ownership in and to their 
submission. Entrant expressly reserves all intellectual property rights 
not expressly granted under this agreement. By participating in the 
Challenge, each entrant hereby irrevocably grants to the Federal 
Government (including HHS) a limited, non-exclusive, royalty free, 
worldwide license and right to use the Submission to the extent 
necessary to administer the Challenge, and to publicly perform and 
publicly display the Submission, including without limitation, for 
advertising and promotional purposes relating to the Challenge.
    Team entries:
    By submitting a technology product as an entry in response to this 
Challenge, each team and each team member represents and warrants that,
    (a) The technology product, through its creation and its submission 
as an entry, does not violate any applicable laws.
    (b) The technology product, through its creation and its submission 
as an entry, does not infringe upon or violate intellectual property 
rights held by any third person or party.
    (c) The technology product be section 508 compliant.

    Authority:  15 U.S.C. 3719.

    Dated: August 4, 2011.
Nicole Lurie,
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR).
[FR Doc. 2011-20296 Filed 8-8-11; 11:15 am]
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