The Department also continues—with a commitment to excellence—to carry out its everyday work in areas ranging from international trade to aquaculture.
Secretary Gary Locke envisions a vibrant Department of Commerce that aggressively promotes American products, services, and ideas both at home and around the world. The Department is aiming to be an engine for job growth and economic renewal, working to save American jobs and create the jobs of the future. Some of the Department’s immediate, high-profile priorities are the digital television transition, broadband implementation, and the Decennial Census.
Next year, in conducting the Decennial Census, 1.2 million temporary Commerce employees will fan out across the country to provide a full, accurate and physical count of the American people. The Census will be run through the Department of Commerce and by a Director who will work with Congress, the administration, and state and local leaders to make sure we have a successful count.
Other critical challenges include: In January 2009, the DTV Converter Box Coupon Program accumulated a waiting list due to insufficient funding. One of the most immediately visible results of the Recovery Act funding is that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Digital Television (DTV) Converter Box Coupon Program has been able to provide coupons to all persons on the waiting list; fulfill requests for replacement coupons to those who had received original coupons but did not redeem them before the coupons expired; and resume processing new coupon requests.
The Digital Television (DTV) Delay Act, signed into law on Feb. 11, 2009, extended the date for coupon requests through July 31, 2009. The total Recovery Act funding for the Coupon Program is $650 million, and the program will continue to fulfill coupon requests as they are received. In addition, funds have been transferred to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)—as allowed by law—to provide education and outreach to the public on the importance of being ready for the conversion to digital TV.
The transition to digital broadcast television will free up the airwaves for better communications among emergency first responders and for new telecommunications services, and offers consumers a clearer picture and more programming choices. The NTIA Digital TV Converter Box Coupon Program provides assistance to households that have not yet converted to digital TV.
Almost 60% of the Recovery Act funding for the Department of Commerce is going to the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP). This program is the first step in realizing President Obama’s vision of bringing the benefits of broadband technology to all Americans. At their core, the broadband initiatives in the Recovery Act offer a tremendous opportunity to stimulate job creation and economic growth in both the near term and for the future. Broadband serves as an engine of economic development, enabling communities and regions to develop and expand job-creating businesses and institutions.
With these broadband initiatives, the Department has been especially attentive to transparency and seeking public input. In March 2009, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration conducted joint public meetings and public field hearings with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
BTOP expects to award its first grants early in the first quarter of fiscal year 2010. The program will divide total grants funding roughly into thirds and roll out three different Notices of Funds Availability (NOFAs), with the first NOFA expected in June for approximately $1.6 billion.
One billion dollars in Recovery Act funding is allocated to the Census Bureau, which will spend the majority of this amount in fiscal year 2010 for salaries and expenses related to the Decennial Census. In fiscal year 2009, some funds will be used for media buys and to hire outreach and education program staff.
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) is receiving $150 million in Recovery Act funding, which it expects to award in its entirety in competitive grants by the end of fiscal year 2009. The EDA economic assistance and development grants program will directly support economic development in the areas hardest hit by the recession. The Recovery Act calls on EDA to “give priority consideration to areas of the Nation that have experienced sudden and severe economic dislocation and job loss due to corporate restructuring.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) collectively represent the remainder of the Recovery Act funding, which will support a variety of science- and technology- related programs in areas such as climate modeling, coastal habitat restoration, innovation, and industrial competitiveness. NOAA and NIST will expend their funding over the fiscal year 2009 and fiscal year 2010 periods in a wide variety of competitive grant and contract activities.
As of Friday, April 17, 2009, the Department of Commerce (DOC) had distributed the following in Recovery Act funds: NTIA Digital Television (DTV) Converter Box Coupon Program Total Disbursed $241,176,729
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce
