On September 30, 2007, the Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) Grant Program awarded $968,385,000 to fund interoperable communications projects from the 56 States and Territories. The awards will help state and local first responders improve public safety communications during a natural or man--made disaster. For additional information, please go to Awards.

Public safety organizations interested in PSIC funding will be able to seek funding through their State Administrative Agency. The deadline for submission of each State and Territory's Investment Justification is December 3, 2007. For further details on how to seek this funding opportunity, including the PSIC Investment Justification Reference Guide, please go to Application and Guidelines.

NTIA also is seeking peer reviews to assist with the evaluation of the PSIC Investment Justifications and the Statewide Communications Interoperability Plans. For more information, please see Request for PSIC Peer Reviewers.

For information about workshops and other technical assistance available to organizations that plan to develop PSIC Investments, please go to Technical Assistance.

For the latest updates from the program, please go to What's New.

The Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 authorized NTIA, in consultation with DHS to make payments not to exceed $1 billion in the aggregate through fiscal year 2010 to carry out the PSIC program. The grant program will assist public safety agencies in the acquisition of, deployment of, or training for the use of interoperable communications systems that can utilize reallocated public safety spectrum in the 700 MHz band for radio communication.

NTIA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) signed Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) to provide grants management services and technical assistance support to NTIA for the PSIC grant program. For more information, please go to NTIA Agreements with Homeland Security for PSIC Support. For more information about this agreement, please go to Background.

For information about the PSIC Grant Program, the public may contact NTIA's Office of Telecommunications and Information Administration at (202) 482-5802 or the DHS Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID) at 1-800-368-6498, or via email at askcsid@dhs.gov.