Pan-Pacific Educational and Cultural Experiments by Satellite (PEACESAT)

PEACESAT provides satellite telecommunications to serve the educational, economic development, medical and cultural needs of many Pacific island nations and territories.

NTIA provides assistance to the University of Hawaii, which operates the PEACESAT project out of Honolulu. PEACESAT headquarters has served earth terminals to support voice and data services, including an Internet node to serve the Pacific islands.

PEACESAT began as a voice service operating in a "party line" mode where many users shared a single channel. The increasing importance of data communications, however, compels PEACESAT to address the "point-to-point" nature of digital technology.

PEACESAT services include: distance education programming between rural students and colleges, universities and Departments of Education; exchange of economic development information among the Forum Fisheries member agencies; support of regional development activities of the South Pacific Commission; medical and environmental training and emergency communications support.

NOAA's GOES-7 satellite was moved over the central Pacific (175 deg West longitude) where it serves the entire Pacific basin. The satellite is controlled by NASA from a site in Hawaii.

Status

The PEACESAT project is working on significantly expand the services provided over the GOES satellite. PEACESAT's analog earth terminal equipment is being supplemented with a digital system to provide multiple voice and data services to each Pacific island user site. PEACESAT's intention is to use the information gathered from these experiments and from usage of the expanded service to assist in the selection of a long-term satellite solution.

FY 2008 NTIA Grants for the PEACESAT Project

On March 19, 2008, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration published a Notice of Availability of Funds in the Federal Register regarding FY 2008 funds available to the PEACESAT project.

The scope of eligible projects and eligible costs for the FY 2008 PEACESAT grant round are discussed in the Federal Funding Opportunity Notice. NTIA also posted this same information regarding the PEACESAT program at Grants.gov.

The deadline for receipt of applications is April 18, 2008.

An NTIA grant was awarded to the University of Hawaii for $499,351 in October 2007 for the PEACESAT project.