47 U.S. Code § 392 - Grants for construction

(a) Applications for grants

For each project for the construction of public telecommunications facilities there shall be submitted to the Secretary an application for a grant containing such information with respect to such project as the Secretary may require, including the total cost of such project, the amount of the grant requested for such project, and a 5-year plan outlining the applicant’s projected facilities requirements and the projected costs of such facilities requirements. Each applicant shall also provide assurances satisfactory to the Secretary that—

(1) the applicant is (A) a public broadcast station; (B) a noncommercial telecommunications entity; (C) a system of public telecommunications entities; (D) a nonprofit foundation, corporation, institution, or association organized primarily for educational or cultural purposes; or (E) a State or local government (or any agency thereof), or a political or special purpose subdivision of a State;

(2) the operation of such public telecommunications facilities will be under the control of the applicant;

(3) necessary funds to construct, operate, and maintain such public telecommunications facilities will be available when needed;

(4) such public telecommunications facilities will be used primarily for the provision of public telecommunications services, and that the use of such public telecommunications facilities for purposes other than the provision of public telecommunications services will not interfere with the provision of such public telecommunications services as required in this part;

(5) the applicant has participated in comprehensive planning for such public telecommunications facilities in the area which the applicant proposes to serve, and such planning has included an evaluation of alternate technologies and coordination with State educational television and radio agencies, as appropriate; and

(6) the applicant will make the most efficient use of the grant.

(b) Amount of grant

Upon approving any application under this section with respect to any project for the construction of public telecommunications facilities, the Secretary shall make a grant to the applicant in an amount determined by the Secretary, except that such amount shall not exceed 75 percent of the amount determined by the Secretary to be the reasonable and necessary cost of such project.

(c) Information and assurances

The Secretary may provide such funds as the Secretary deems necessary for the planning of any project for which construction funds may be obtained under this section. An applicant for a planning grant shall provide such information with respect to such project as the Secretary may require and shall provide assurances satisfactory to the Secretary that the applicant meets the eligible requirements of subsection (a) to receive construction assistance.

(d) Studies

Any studies conducted by or for any grant recipient under this section shall be provided to the Secretary, if such studies are conducted through the use of funds received under this section.

(e) Rules and regulations

The Secretary shall establish such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out this subpart, including rules and regulations relating to the order of priority in approving applications for construction projects and relating to determining the amount of each grant for such projects.

(f) Minorities and women

In establishing criteria for grants pursuant to section 393 of this title and in establishing procedures relating to the order of priority established in subsection (e) in approving applications for grants, the Secretary shall give special consideration to applications which would increase minority and women’s ownership of, operation of, and participation in public telecommunications entities. The Secretary shall take affirmative steps to inform minorities and women of the availability of funds under this subpart, and the localities where new public telecommunications facilities are needed, and to provide such other assistance and information as may be appropriate.

(g) Recovering funds

If, within 10 years after completion of any project for construction of public telecommunications facilities with respect to which a grant has been made under this section—

(1) the applicant or other owner of such facilities ceases to be an agency, institution, foundation, corporation, association, or other entity described in subsection (a)(1); or

(2) such facilities cease to be used primarily for the provision of public telecommunications services (or the use of such public telecommunications facilities for purposes other than the provision of public telecommunications services interferes with the provision of such public telecommunications services as required in this part);

the United States shall be entitled to recover from the applicant or other owner of such facilities the amount bearing the same ratio to the value of such facilities at the time the applicant ceases to be such an entity or at the time of such determination (as determined by agreement of the parties or by action brought in the United States district court for the district in which such facilities are situated), as the amount of the Federal participation bore to the cost of construction of such facilities.

(h) Recordkeeping requirements

Each recipient of assistance under this subpart shall keep such records as may be reasonably necessary to enable the Secretary to carry out the functions of the Secretary under this subpart, including a complete and itemized inventory of all public telecommunications facilities under the control of such recipient, and rec­ords which fully disclose the amount and the disposition by such recipient of the proceeds of such assistance, the total cost of the project in connection with which such assistance is given or used, the amount and nature of that portion of the cost of the project supplied by other sources, and such other records as will facilitate an effective audit.

(i) Accessibility of records

The Secretary and the Comptroller General of the United States, or any of their duly authorized representatives, shall have access for the purpose of audit and examination to any books, documents, papers, and records of any recipient of assistance under this subpart that are pertinent to assistance received under this subpart.

(June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title III, § 392, as added Pub. L. 87–447, May 1, 1962, 76 Stat. 65; amended Pub. L. 90–129, title I, §§ 102, 103(b)–(e), 104, Nov. 7, 1967, 81 Stat. 365–367; Pub. L. 94–309, § 4, June 5, 1976, 90 Stat. 683; Pub. L. 95–567, title I, § 103(a), Nov. 2, 1978, 92 Stat. 2405; Pub. L. 97–35, title XII, § 1223, Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 725.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1981—Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 97–35, § 1223(a), inserted provisions relating to noninterference of facilities with services required under this part, and substituted “primarily” for “only”.

Subsec. (g)(2). Pub. L. 97–35, § 1223(b), substituted “primarily” for “only”, and provisions relating to interference of uses of facilities for provisions relating to good cause for release of applicant or owner from requirements.

1978—Pub. L. 95–567 completely revised and restructured existing provisions, inserting provisions requiring applicant to submit a 5 year plan, allowing nonprofit educational or cultural groups to apply for grants, authorizing the Secretary to make grants up to 75 percent of the cost, establishing rules and regulations for approving grants and administering grants made before, on or after Nov. 2, 1978, and striking out provisions for an 8½ percent limit on grants and criteria for awarding grants.

1976—Subsec. (a)(1)(C). Pub. L. 94–309, § 4(a), substituted “a public or private nonprofit college or university or other educational or cultural institution which is affiliated with an eligible college or university” for “a college or university deriving its support in whole or in part from tax revenues”.

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 94–309, § 4(b), substituted separate provisions relating to grant criteria for television and for radio in place of single provision that Secretary shall base his determinations of whether to approve applications for grants and the amount of grants on criteria set forth in regulations and designed to achieve, with respect to noncommercial educational television channels, prompt and effective use of all such channels remaining available and, with respect to noncommercial educational television and radio broadcasting facilities, equitable geographical distribution of such facilities throughout the States and provision of such facilities which will serve the greatest number of persons in as many areas as possible and which are adaptable to the broadest educational uses.

1967—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 90–129, § 103(b)(1), inserted “noncommercial” and “or radio” in introductory text.

Subsec. (a)(1)(B). Pub. L. 90–129, § 103(b)(2), required the State educational television agency applicant for a television facilities project to be a noncommercial agency and inserted requirement that applicant for a radio facilities project be a State educational radio agency.

Subsec. (a)(1)(D). Pub. L. 90–129, § 103(b)(3), designated existing provisions as cl. (i), made such cl. (i) applicable to television facilities projects and noncommercial television, and added cl. (ii) and provision for applicant meeting both television and radio broadcasting requirements.

Subsec. (a)(1)(E). Pub. L. 90–129, § 103(b)(4), added cl. (E).

Subsec. (a)(2) to (4). Pub. L. 90–129, § 103(b)(5), struck out “television” before “broadcasting facilities” wherever appearing.

Subsec. (a)(5). Pub. L. 90–129, § 103(b)(6), added par. (5).

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 90–129, § 102, substituted limitation on grants for construction of noncommercial educational television and radio broadcasting facilities in any State to 8½ per centum of fiscal year appropriation for former $1,000,000 limitation for construction of educational television broadcasting facilities in any State.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 90–129, § 103(c), designated existing provisions as par. (1), restricted such provisions to noncommercial educational television broadcasting facilities, and added par. (2).

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 90–129, § 103(d), inserted in cls. (2) and (3) “noncommercial” and “or noncommercial educational radio broadcasting facilities, as the case may be,” before and after “educational television broadcasting facilities”, respectively.

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 90–129, § 104, increased the maximum Federal share in the cost of constructing educational broadcasting facilities from 50 to 75 percent, eliminated the additional credit, formerly allowed the grantee, of 25 percent of the cost of facilities owned by the applicant on the date his application is filed, eliminated the prohibition against using not more than 15 percent of a grant for the acquisition and installation of interconnection facilities, microwave equipment, boosters, translators, and repeaters, and provided for payment of cost of the project from the sum available therefor.

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 90–129, § 103(e), inserted “or radio” in introductory text and, in par. (2), “noncommercial” and “or noncommercial educational radio purposes, as the case may be” before and after “educational television purposes”, respectively.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1978 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 95–567 effective Nov. 2, 1978, see section 403 of Pub. L. 95–567, set out as a note under section 390 of this title.

Effective Date of 1967 Amendment

Pub. L. 90–129, title I, § 102, Nov. 7, 1967, 81 Stat. 365, provided that the amendment made by section 102 is effective with respect to grants made from appropriations for any fiscal year beginning after June 30, 1967.

Administration of Grants

Pub. L. 95–567, title I, § 103(b), Nov. 2, 1978, 92 Stat. 2407, provided that:

“(1) The provisions of section 392(g) of the Communications Act of 1934 [subsec. (g) of this section], as added by subsection (a), shall apply to any grant made under section 392 of such Act [this section] before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this Act [Nov. 2, 1978]. Any authority and responsibilities of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare regarding the administration of such grants are hereby transferred to the Secretary of Commerce.

“(2) Subject to the provisions of section 202 of the Budget and Accounting Procedures Act of 1950 (31 U.S.C. 581c) [31 U.S.C. 1531], the following are hereby transferred to the Secretary of Commerce for appropriate allocation—

“(A) the personnel employed in connection with or in support of, or as an integral part of the mission of, the functions transferred to the Secretary of Commerce from the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare by paragraph (1); and

“(B) the assets, liabilities, contracts, property, rec­ords, and unexpended balances of appropriations, allocations, and other funds employed, held, used, arising from, available for, or to be made available for, or in connection with, the functions described in subparagraph (A).

Unexpended funds transferred pursuant to this paragraph shall be used only for the purposes for which the funds originally were authorized and appropriated.

“(3) The Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, shall—

“(A) make such determinations as may be necessary with regard to the transfer of the functions transferred to the Secretary of Commerce from the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare by paragraph (1); and

“(B) make such additional incidental dispositions of personnel, assets, liabilities, contracts, property, records, and unexpended balances of appropriations, allocations, and other funds employed, held, used, arising from, available for, or to be made available for, or in connection with, the functions described in subparagraph (A);

as the Director may deem necessary to accomplish the purposes of this Act [see Short Title of 1978 Amendment note set out under section 609 of this title] and the amendments made by this Act.”