Fact Sheet: Public Safety Interoperable Communications Grant Program

Release Date: July 18, 2007

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), was authorized to establish and administer the Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) Grant Program as directed by Section 3006 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (Pub. L. No. 109-171.) The Call Home Act of 2006 (Pub. L. No. 109-459) required NTIA to make grant awards by September 30, 2007.

Under this PSIC Grant Program, $968,385,000 will be made available in grants to the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands. The Governor of each State and Territory has designated a State Administrative Agency (SAA) which can apply for and administer the funds under the PSIC Grant Program. The SAA is responsible for obligating PSIC funds to eligible pass-through recipients, which is statutorily defined as a public safety agency that is a State, local, or tribal government entity or nongovernmental organization authorized by such entity, whose sole or principal purpose is to protect safety of life, health, or property.

The PSIC Grant Program is designed to assist public safety agencies in the acquisition of, deployment of, or training for the use of interoperable communications systems that utilize – or enable interoperability with communications systems that can utilize – reallocated 700 MHz spectrum for radio communications.

Each public safety agency receiving PSIC funds is required to meet and document a 20 percent statutory match requirement for each project during the period of performance of the grant.

Up to 5 percent of the State’s and Territory’s total allocation can be used by the applicant to complete its Statewide Plan to ensure that the PSIC criteria are incorporated in the Statewide Plans. Funds designated for this purpose will be made available upon award.

For more information on the PSIC Grant Program, please contact the Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID) at 1-800-368-6498 or askcsid@dhs.gov. Press and congressional offices should contact NTIA at 202-482-1840.

PSIC Grant Program updates will be posted on the NTIA website: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/psic.

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This page was last modified on July 18, 2007