BTOP Baseline Report for Infrastructure Projects

	B DRAFT roadband Technology Opportunities Program BTOP Baseline Report for Infrastructure Projects April 2, 2010 Version 1.0 Prepared for: National Telecommunications and Information Administration Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) Office U.S. Department of Commerce Washington, DC 20230

Contents

Baseline Report Introduction 2

Baseline Report Form 2

Baseline Report Instructions 2

Baseline Report Introduction

Dear BTOP Recipient,

As outlined in your grant award conditions, you are required to submit two reports by April 30, 2010. The first, required by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, is your first quarterly performance report. Under the Act, all entities receiving grant money must report quarterly on their use of the federal assistance and their progress in fulfilling the objections for which the funds were granted. These reports will be made publicly available via the Internet. The format for this performance report and accompanying instructions will be provided separately. The second required report, which will be kept confidential except as required by law, is a baseline report. As a special award condition of your grant, you are required to submit baseline project plans and details regarding key outputs and outcomes from your project.We understand that your previously estimated milestones and key indicators may have changed as a result of Federal bidding requirements, special award conditions, new information, or other events. This report allows us to establish a common understanding of your project.

Please complete the following baseline report forms, which request a variety of data about your project, including milestones and indicators of project success. You will be asked to report on this same information in your quarterly and annual reports and will be held responsible for meeting the milestones and key indicators that you set for yourself. 

This baseline report consists of two components:

Milestones:

All projects must be fully completed no later than three years following the date of the issuance of the award. Please use the table provided to indicate your anticipated percentage of completion by quarter for the term of your project. The percentage of completion for each milestone should be based primarily on the expenditure of your project budget, and the percentages should be reported cumulatively from award inception through the end of the each quarter. For example, if you expect to complete a particular milestone in the first three quarters of your project, the third quarter and all subsequent quarters should state 100%. Please also provide a brief description of the primary activities involved in meeting each milestone (a single description should be provided for each milestone, covering all quarters in years one through three). Year one begins with your award start date.

Quarterly and Annual Indicators:

Please use the table provided to indicate anticipated key indicators for your Infrastructure project (e.g., new network miles deployed, average cost per mile). Figures should be reported cumulatively from award inception through the end of the quarter or year.

Once completed, the baseline report should be e-mailed to your Program Officer no later than April 30, 2010. Please save your report using the naming format “BaselineReport_OrgName_DDMonthYY” (e.g., “BaselineReport_TwitchellTelecom_15April10”). E-mail the file to your Program Officer with “Baseline Project Plan” as the subject line. Your Program Officer may follow up with you to discuss your report.

Please do not hesitate to contact your Program Officer with any questions.

Baseline Report Form

MILESTONES

INFRASTRUCTURE MILESTONE CATEGORIES

All projects must be fully completed no later than three years following the date of the issuance of the award. Please use the table provided to indicate your anticipated percentage of completion by quarter for each of the three years of your project. The percentage should be based primarily on the expenditure of your project budget and should be reported cumulatively from award inception through the end of the each quarter. Year One begins with your award start date. Please also provide a brief description (100 words or less) of the primary activities involved in meeting each milestone (a single description should be provided for each milestone, covering all quarters in years one through three). Please write “N/A” if your project does not include this activity. If necessary, please insert additional milestones you may have at the bottom of the chart.

MILESTONE CATEGORIES

YEAR 1

YEAR 2

YEAR 3

Primary Activities

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

1. Overall Project

2. Environmental Assessment

3. Network Design

4. Rights Of Way

5. Construction Permits And Other Approvals

6. Site Preparation

7. Equipment Procurement

8. Network Build (all components - owned, leased, IRU, etc.)

9. Equipment Deployment

10. Network Testing

11. Other (please specify):

KEY INDICATORS

INFRASTRUCTURE KEY INDICATORS

Please use the following table to provide anticipated key indicators and subscribers for your Infrastructure project. Information should be reported cumulatively from award inception through the end of the quarter for Quarterly Indicators and for the end of the year for Annual Indicators. Please write “N/A” if your project does not include this indicator.

QUARTERLY INDICATORS

YEAR 1

YEAR 2

YEAR 3

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

1. New network miles deployed

2. New network miles leased

3. Number of miles of fiber (aerial or underground)

4. Number of wireless links

5. Number of towers

6. Number of interconnection points

7. Number of signed agreements with broadband wholesalers or last mile providers

8. Number of potential agreements with broadband wholesalers or last mile providers

9. Federal grant expenditures

PROJECTED NUMBER OF SUBSCRIBERS

YEAR 1

YEAR 2

YEAR 3

SUBSCRIBER TYPE

ACCESS TYPE

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

10a. Please provide the following information if you are offering middle mile services to broadband wholesalers/last mile providers or community anchor institutions.

Broadband Wholesalers or Last Mile Providers

Providers receiving new access

Providers receiving improved access

Please identify the speed tiers that will be available and the estimated number of providers for each

Community Anchor Institutions (including Government institutions)

Total subscribers served

Subscribers receiving new access

Subscribers receiving improved access

Please identify the speed tiers that will be available and the estimated number of subscribers for each

10b. Please provide the following information if you are offering last mile services to homes and businesses.

Residential/Households

Entities passed

Total subscribers served

Subscribers receiving new access

Subscribers receiving improved access

Please identify the speed tiers that will be available and the estimated number of subscribers for each

Businesses

Entities passed

Total subscribers served

Subscribers receiving new access

Subscribers receiving improved access

Please identify the speed tiers that will be available and the estimated number of subscribers for each

ANNUAL INDICATORS		YEAR 1		YEAR 2		YEAR 3
1. Average cost per mile
2. Average cost per household passed
3. Average cost per subscriber
4. Projected maximum broadband speed to be advertised
5. Projected average broadband speed to be provided
6. Please list the counties within each state where your grant-funded infrastructure will be deployed. Please also list the Census tracts that comprise your service area(s).
7. Please provide information on the types of community anchor institutions capable of receiving service as a result of BTOP funds:
Type of Community Anchor Institution	Total Number Within Service Area		Type of Community Anchor Institution		Total Number Within Service Area
Schools (K-12)			Public Housing
Libraries			Other Institutions of Higher Education
Medical and Healthcare Providers			Other Community Support Organizations
Public Safety Entities			Other Government Facilities
Community Colleges			Total Community Anchor Institutions
8. If you plan to lease dark fiber, please provide the anticipated number of customers and the number of fiber miles you intend to lease.

Baseline Report Instructions

Line Item Instructions for the Baseline Report Attachment

(BTOP Baseline Report for Infrastructure Projects)

Question Number		Reporting Item	Instructions	Clarifications and Definitions
Milestone Categories
1		Overall Project	All projects must be fully completed no later than three years following the date of the issuance of the award. Please use the table provided to indicate your anticipated percentage of completion by quarter for each of the three years of your project. The percentage should be based primarily on the expenditure of your project budget and should be reported cumulatively from award inception through the end of the each quarter. Year One begins with your award start date. Please also provide a brief description (100 words or less) of the primary activities involved in meeting each milestone (a single description should be provided for each milestone, covering all quarters in years one through three). Please write “N/A” for any milestone categories that do not apply. Insert additional milestones you may have at the bottom of the chart, if necessary.	This field should include all milestones and activities associated with your project; it is therefore based on the expenditure of you entire project budget.
2		Environmental Assessment		Environmental assessment activities include all the necessary steps to complete your environmental assessment (if you received a categorical exclusion, please write “N/A.”) This can include hiring a consultant to assist with the process.
3		Network Design		Network design includes all activities to finalize the network design submitted with your application.
4		Rights of Way		Rights of way include all activities associated with identifying and finalizing right of way agreements.
5		Construction Permits and Other Approvals		Construction permits and other approvals include all activities associated with identifying and obtaining necessary construction permits, licenses, or other approvals.
6		Site Preparation		Site preparation includes all activities associated with preparing construction and deployment sites, including all surveys, clearing land, etc.
7		Equipment Procurement		Equipment procurement includes all activities associated with identifying and procuring necessary equipment for your project. This includes the equipment needed for construction or upgrades, as well as network equipment that will be deployed.
8		Network Build (all components – owned, leased, IRU, etc.)		Network build includes all aspects of building your network once all of the necessary agreements, permits, and licenses are obtained and the build sites are prepared.
9		Equipment Deployment		Equipment deployment includes all activities associated with the installation of equipment that supports your network inside and outside plant.
10		Network Testing		Network testing includes all activities necessary to test the completed network; this includes testing the network itself and testing processes required to run the network successfully.
11		Other		If your project includes specific milestones that do not fit into one of the categories defined above, please specify those specific milestones and provide the requested completion data.
Quarterly Indicators
1-9		Quarterly Indicators	Please use the following table to provide anticipated key indicators for your Infrastructure project. Figures should be reported cumulatively from award inception through the end of the quarter.	Please provide the total numbers for each quarterly indicator; for indicators that do not apply, please write “N/A.”
10a-b		Number of Subscribers	Please use the following table to provide anticipated subscribers for your Infrastructure project. Figures should be reported cumulatively from award inception through the end of the quarter.	Please provide the following information for each relevant subscriber type. If your project does not include a particular type of subscriber, please write “N/A.”Data related to broadband wholesalers/last mile providers and community anchor institutions will generally apply to middle mile projects, while data related to businesses and residential/households will generally apply to last mile projects. Broadband Wholesalers and Last Mile Providers: Please provide information regarding providers or subscribers receiving new access (did not previously subscribe to broadband) and providers or subscribers receiving improved access; please also identify the speed tiers that will be available and the estimated number of providers or subscribers for each. Community Anchor Institutions (including Government institutions): Please provide information regarding the total providers or subscribers served (connected), providers or subscribers receiving new access (did not previously subscribe to broadband), and providers or subscribers receiving improved access; please also identify the speed tiers that will be available and the estimated number of providers or subscribers for each. Businesses and Residential/Households: Please provide information regarding the total number of entities passed (not connected), total providers or subscribers served (connected), providers or subscribers receiving new access (did not previously subscribe to broadband), and providers or subscribers receiving improved access; please also identify the speed tiers that will be available and the estimated number of providers or subscribers for each.
Annual Indicators
	1-8	Annual Indicators	Please use the following table to provide anticipated key indicators for your Infrastructure project. Information should be reported cumulatively from award inception through the end of the year.	Please provide the requested information for each annual indicator; for indicators that do not apply, please write “N/A.” General definitions for cost per mile, cost per household, and cost per subscriber are provided below. For this baseline report, please provide the projected information for each yearly reporting period (total cost from award inception through the annual reporting period divided by total progress from award inception through the reporting period). Cost Per Mile is defined as the project’s direct capital costs associated with the installation of the middle mile transmission infrastructure divided by the route miles the transmission infrastructure will traverse. The capital costs are derived from transmission infrastructure such as conduit, cables and the labor used to install this transmission infrastructure. The capital costs do not include network access (e.g., core network routers), customer premise equipment (CPE), building/facility construction, test equipment, billing and operational support systems, and/or any additional professional services. Cost Per Household is defined as the project’s direct capital costs associated with the installation of the last mile transmission infrastructure to the households in the service areas(s) divided by the households in the service area(s) at the completion of the project. The capital costs are derived from transmission infrastructure such as distribution and remote terminals (e.g. DSLAM, B/GPON), conduit, cables, wireless transceivers, antennas and the labor used to install the transmission infrastructure. The capital costs do not include any costs associated with customer premise equipment (CPE), CPE installation services, building/facility/tower construction, test equipment, billing and operational support systems and/or any additional professional services. Cost Per Subscriber is defined as the project’s direct capital costs associated with the installation of the last mile transmission infrastructure to the households in the service areas(s) divided by the subscribers forecasted in the service area(s) at the end of the 5th year following grant award. The capital costs are derived from transmission infrastructure such as distribution and remote terminals (e.g. DSLAM, B/GPON), conduit, cables, wireless transceivers, antennas and the labor used to install the transmission infrastructure. The capital costs do not include any costs associated with customer premise equipment (CPE), CPE installation services, building/facility/tower construction, test equipment, billing and operational support systems and/or any additional professional services.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act, as amended, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the PRA, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 3 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Anthony G. Wilhelm, Director, Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, Office of Telecommunications and Information Applications, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), 1401 Constitution Avenue, N.W., HCHB, Room 4887, Washington, D.C. 20230.