[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 148 (Monday, August 3, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41231-41232]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-20583]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Structured Reporting System (SRS) for the Telecommunications and 
Information Infrastructure Assistance Program

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

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SUMMARY: 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 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before October 2, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Linda Engelmeier, 
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce--Room 
5327, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Gay Shrum, NTIA--Room 4892, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20230. (202-482-1056).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The purpose of the Telecommunications and Information 
Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP) is to promote the widespread 
and efficient use of advanced telecommunications services in the public 
and non-profit sectors to serve America's communities. It does this by 
providing matching funds to public and non-profit sector organizations 
to use information infrastructure to provide community-wide 
information, health, life-long learning, education, public safety and 
other public services.
    The Program has the following objectives:
    <bullet> To increase awareness in public and non-profit sectors of 
the National Information Infrastructure and its benefits.
    <bullet> To stimulate public and non-profit sector organizations to 
examine potential benefits of, and plan for, investments in the 
information infrastructure.
    <bullet> To provide a wide variety of model information 
infrastructure projects for public and non-profit sector organizations 
to follow.
    <bullet> To educate the public and non-profit sectors about best 
practices in implementing a wide variety of information infrastructure 
projects.
    <bullet> To help reduce disparities in access to, and use of, 
information infrastructure.
    The National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA), in administering TIIAP, awards a varying number of awards each 
year, but there are an average of 2,225 active grantees involved in 
some, or all, of the reporting requirements each year. In order to 
ensure that grant recipients are effectively promoting the efficient 
and widespread use of advanced telecommunications services to serve 
American communities and to comply with the Government Performance and 
Results Act, NTIA will collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative 
data relating to start-up documentation, quarterly and annual progress, 
and close-out documentation on TIIAP-funded projects.
    NTIA seeks a mechanism whereby it can evaluate the impacts of its 
projects on an ongoing basis, monitor grants more efficiently and 
effectively, and provide timely technical assistance to grant 
recipients. Currently, grantees provide qualitative quarterly progress 
reports and close-out documentation. Grantees also provide evaluation 
reports covering a wide array of sophistication and complexity of 
design.
    To enable the Program to monitor and to analyze the impacts of the 
funded projects, TIIAP seeks to incorporate standardized quantitative 
and qualitative data elements into an online structured reporting 
system. The reporting system will include a set of core data elements 
that apply to all projects and other data elements that are specific to 
the applications areas of the projects.
    NTIA is interested in the effects that the funded projects are 
having at the local level and, over the long term, at the national 
level. It is NTIA's intention to understand the nature and degree of 
those effects on the organizations implementing the projects, other 
organizations that are involved with the projects, the individuals who 
are served by the projects, and the community as a whole.

II. Method of Collection

    Data will be collected through the use of automated collection 
techniques. The information collection instrument to be used for this 
study will include a web-based structured reporting system for both 
quantitative and qualitative project

[[Page 41232]]

information for 50 new projects for 1998.

III. Data

    OMB Number: None.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular Submission.
    Affected Public: State and Local Government and Non-Profit 
Institutions.

Burden Hours Calculations/Reporting

    The total estimated response burden for the grant recipients that 
receive TIIAP funding in FY 1998 is 8,400 hours (the overall burden on 
any given grant recipient would be approximately 168 hours (21 days) 
over their participation in the TIIAP project). This estimate is based 
on the following assumptions:
    <bullet> Start-Up Documentation. Each of the 50 initiatives will 
spend an average of 40 hours on the following activities: (accessing 
and learning the web-based system: (2) developing answers to the items; 
and (3) verifying the accuracy and completeness of the data that are to 
be submitted (50 projects  x  40 hours equals 2,000 hours).
    <bullet> Quarterly Reports. Each of the 50 initiatives will spend 
an average of 8 hours developing answers to the items contained in the 
quarterly report (50 projects  x  8 hours  x  10 quarterly reports 
equals 4,000 hours).
    <bullet> Annual Reports. Each of the 50 initiatives will spend an 
average of 4 hours developing answers to the items contained in the 
annual report (50 projects  x  4 hours  x  2 reports equals 400 hours).
    <bullet> Final Closeout Reports. Each of the 50 initiatives will 
spend an average of 40 hours developing answers to the items contained 
in the final closeout report (50 projects  x  40 hours equals 2,000 
hours).
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: Cost to respondents is consistent with 
their normal administrative overhead. No material or equipment will 
need to be purchased to provide information.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments in response to this notice will be summarized and/or 
included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: July 28, 1998.
Linda Engelmeier,
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer.
[FR Doc. 98-20583 Filed 7-31-98; 8:45 am]
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