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 15-722 June 22, 2015 CONSUMER AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS BUREAU ANNOUNCES 2015-2016 ALLOCATIONS FOR THE NATIONAL DEAF-BLIND EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM Washington, D.C. – The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB or Bureau) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announces the funding allocations for the National Deaf- Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP), also called “iCanConnect,” for the 2015-2016 fund year. The NDBEDP is a program mandated by section 105 of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) that provides funding of up to $10 million annually for the distribution of communications equipment to low-income individuals who are deaf- blind. 1 In 2011, the Commission established the framework for a pilot program to fulfill this CVAA mandate. 2 The Bureau launched the NDBEDP pilot program on July 1, 2012. 3 At present, there are 53 entities certified by the Commission to participate in the NDBEDP – one entity to distribute communications equipment in each state, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 4 1 Pub. L. 111-260, 124 Stat. 2751 (2010); see also Pub. L. 111-265, 124 Stat. 2795 (2010) (providing technical corrections to the CVAA). Section 105 of the CVAA adds Section 719 to the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and is codified at 47 U.S.C. § 620. The CVAA allows the Commission to allocate these funds from the Interstate Telecommunications Relay Service Fund (TRS Fund). 2 See Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, Section 105, Relay Services for Deaf-Blind Individuals, Report and Order, 26 FCC Rcd 5640 (2011) (NDBEDP Pilot Program Order). The NDBEDP pilot program was established to run for two years, with an option for the Commission to extend it for another year. Id., 26 FCC Rcd at 5649, ¶ 22. In 2014, the Bureau extended the pilot program for a third year. See Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, Section 105, Relay Services for Deaf-Blind Individuals, Public Notice, 29 FCC Rcd 1234 (CGB 2014). In 2015, the Commission extended the pilot program for an additional year, until June 30, 2016. See 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, Order, FCC 15-57 (rel. May 27, 2015). 3 Commission Announces Launch of the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program, Public Notice, 27 FCC Rcd 7403 (CGB 2012). 4 A full list of the entities currently certified to participate in the NDBEDP is provided below. Contact information for these entities is available at http://www.icanconnect.org/state-partners. 2For each year of the pilot program, the Commission sets aside $500,000 of the $10 million annually allocated for the NDBEDP for national outreach efforts. 5 The remaining $9.5 million of annual funding is used to reimburse NDBEDP certified programs for the reasonable costs of operating their programs in compliance with the Commission’s NDBEDP rules. 6 Funding allocations for each year of the pilot program have been calculated by allocating 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 each jurisdiction. 7 Allocations for the upcoming 2015-2016 fund year have been calculated by using the same formula, using the most current census population estimates. These allocations are as follows: 8 State NDBEDP Certified Program Funding Allocation for 2015-2016 Alabama Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind $152,998 Alaska Assistive Technology of Alaska $65,648 Arizona Perkins School for the Blind $192,974 Arkansas Perkins School for the Blind $113,004 California Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired $874,147 Colorado Colorado Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing $163,756 Connecticut Connecticut Tech Act Project $126,392 Delaware University of Delaware – Center For Disabilities Studies $69,872 Florida Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc. $472,524 Georgia Georgia Council for the Hearing Impaired $264,463 Hawaii Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults $80,151 Idaho University of Idaho – Idaho Assistive Technology Project $84,715 Illinois The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired $323,577 Indiana Perkins School for the Blind $190,114 Iowa Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults $115,994 Kansas Assistive Technology for Kansans $111,680 5 See NDBEDP Pilot Program Order, 26 FCC Rcd at 5675-76, ¶ 80. The Commission announced the selection of the Perkins School for the Blind to conduct national outreach efforts to promote the NDBEDP. See Perkins School for the Blind to Conduct National Outreach for the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program, Public Notice, 27 FCC Rcd 6143 (CGB 2012). For this effort, the Perkins School for the Blind is partnering with the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults, FableVision, Inc., and other national and local consumer groups, parent groups, agencies, and associations. Id. 6 NDBEDP Pilot Program Order, 26 FCC Rcd at 5677, ¶ 85. See also 47 C.F.R. § 64.610. 7 NDBEDP Pilot Program Order, 26 FCC Rcd at 5677, ¶ 84. 8 Population figures for these calculations are derived from U.S. Census data. See National, State, and Puerto Rico Commonwealth Totals Datasets: Population change and rankings: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014 (NST-EST2014- popchg2010-2014), available at http://www.census.gov/popest/data/national/totals/2014/NST-EST2014- popchg2010-2014.html (last viewed June 15, 2015). See also U.S. Census Bureau, Population of the U.S. Virgin Islands: 2000 and 2010, available at https://www.census.gov/2010census/news/xls/cb11cn180_vi.xls (last viewed June 15, 2015). The Bureau reviews funding data as it becomes available during the year and works with certified programs to reallocate funding between programs to maximize the use of available funding during each fund year. See id., 26 FCC Rcd at 5677, 5679, ¶¶ 85, 90. 3State NDBEDP Certified Program Funding Allocation for 2015-2016 Kentucky Eastern Kentucky University Center on Deafness and Hearing Loss $143,740 Louisiana Affiliated Blind of Louisiana Training Center $148,757 Maine Maine Center on Deafness $78,250 Maryland Perkins School for the Blind $176,936 Massachusetts Perkins School for the Blind $193,269 Michigan Perkins School for the Blind $260,481 Minnesota Perkins School for the Blind $165,908 Mississippi Perkins School for the Blind $113,593 Missouri Missouri Assistive Technology $178,788 Montana Perkins School for the Blind $71,740 Nebraska Nebraska Assistive Technology Partnership $89,962 Nevada Perkins School for the Blind $110,301 New Hampshire Northeast Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, Inc. $78,181 New Jersey New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired $239,843 New Mexico Perkins School for the Blind $94,297 New York Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults $469,401 North Carolina North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing $261,205 North Dakota Interagency Program for Assistive Technology $65,706 Ohio Ohio Deaf-Blind Outreach Program $296,255 Oklahoma Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services $132,368 Oregon Access Technologies, Inc. $134,326 Pennsylvania Institute on Disabilities – Temple University $321,594 Rhode Island Perkins School for the Blind $72,411 South Carolina Perkins School for the Blind $152,640 South Dakota South Dakota Department of Human Services $68,121 Tennessee Tennessee Regulatory Authority $189,105 Texas Perkins School for the Blind $622,553 Utah Perkins School for the Blind $112,506 Vermont Perkins School for the Blind $63,308 Virginia Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing $226,846 Washington Department of Social and Health Services – Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing $199,984 West Virginia Perkins School for the Blind $89,300 Wisconsin Public Service Commission of Wisconsin $172,288 Wyoming Wyoming Institute for Disabilities – University of Wyoming $62,407 District of Columbia Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind $63,995 Puerto Rico Perkins School for the Blind $125,366 U.S. Virgin Islands Perkins School for the Blind $52,260 Total $9,500,000 4ACCESSIBLE 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, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, 202-418-1153, e-mail Jackie.Ellington@fcc.gov; or Rosaline Crawford, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, 202-418-2075, e-mail Rosaline.Crawford@fcc.gov. -FCC-