Public Telecommunications Facilities Program

The Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) is a competitive grant program that helps public broadcasting stations, state and local governments, Indian Tribes, and nonprofit organizations construct facilities to bring educational and cultural programs to the American Public using broadcast and nonbroadcast telecommunications technologies. Under the program's authority, funds are also allocated to support the Pan-Pacific Educational and Cultural Experiments by Satellite (PEACESAT) project. PEACESAT provides satellite-delivered education, medical, and environmental emergency telecommunications to many small-island nations and territories in the Pacific Ocean region.

PTFP to Shutdown
On April 15, 2011, the President signed into law H.R. 1473 (Public Law 112-10), The Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011, which provided no funding for the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) in Fiscal Year 2011.

As a result, NTIA will not process applications it has received or award any additional grants under the PTFP.

NTIA has begun the orderly shutdown of PTFP and will destroy copies of all applications received for the FY 2011 grant round upon the shutdown of the program.

NTIA will continue to monitor PTFP grants it has previously awarded to ensure that taxpayer funds are utilized in the most responsible and efficient manner. The terms and conditions of all PTFP grants remain in effect until the expiration of a grant's award period.

Additional information for PTFP grantees