U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
Washington, DC 20472 


National Preparedness Directorate Information Bulletin 
No. 268 October 19, 2007 
TO: All State Administrative Agency Heads 
All State Administrative Agency Points of Contact 
FROM: Lisa Lewis 
Acting Assistant Administrator, Grant Programs Directorate 
SUBJECT: Public Safety Interoperable Communications Grant Program - 
Revised and Supplementary PSIC Information 

In response to stakeholder feedback collected at the National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration (NTIA) technical assistance workshops held nationwide from September 24 – October 1, 
2007, both NTIA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are pleased to release the 
updates below to further equip and assist Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) Grant 
Program applicants. Below is a detailed list of the updates for your information. 

. 
A Clarification Letter has been attached and the Investment Justification (IJ) Template was 
revised so that applicants have more flexibility in meeting the 20 percent statutory match 
requirement. States and Territories no longer have to provide match on a project-by-project level; 
match can either be identified and allocated at the total IJ level or per individual Investment. In 
addition, the IJ Template’s character counts were updated so that applicants have more flexibility 
to answer IJ questions. 

. 
The allowable cost matrix provides applicants with more detailed examples of PSIC allowable 
and disallowable cost categories. 
. 
Frequently asked questions from the NTIA-sponsored workshops were compiled so that 
applicants better understand the PSIC Grant Program. 

In addition to the documents above, additional PSIC clarifications and updates are provided below. 

. 
As of October 1, 2007, States and Territories can use the up to 3 percent of Management & 
Administration (M&A) funds. States and Territories can use these funds at the State-level to 
help fund PSIC activities before Statewide Communications Interoperability Plans (SCIP) and IJs 
are approved. Please reference the PSIC Program Guidance and Application Kit for any 
questions related to M&A allowances. Grant Adjustment Notices (GAN) are currently being 
prepared to allow draw-down of M&A funds. 

. 
Many States and Territories have requested clarification on using multiple federal sources to fund 
PSIC positions and supplanting. 

o 
For positions that are currently funded with federal grant funds (i.e., HSGP): States and 
Territories may fund positions using multiple federal grant funds or transfer positions 
between federal grant programs provided the time, salary, benefits, and duties for the 
various sources of funding are documented. Please ensure that any salaries charged to 
PSIC are for allowable PSIC activities. Please see OMB A-87 for further information. 
www.fema.gov 


o 
For existing State/Locally funded positions: The salary and benefit costs associated with 
existing non-federally funded positions, who are reassigned to work on PSIC grants, may 
be used as in-kind match without the need of back-filling their previous position/duties. 
If PSIC funds will be used to reimburse the salary and benefits for positions that were 
previously funded with State/Local funds, the State or Territory must back-fill the 
supplanted position. 
. 
NTIA and DHS are soliciting participation for the upcoming joint IJ and SCIP peer review 
panel (scheduled for February 2008). If you are interested in participating, please see the 
application information posted on the NTIA website provided below. Please note that to apply, 
you must be a public sector employee (i.e., local, state, or federal employee), and you must have 
expertise and/or experience with emergency operations, interoperable communications, public 
safety, or grants management. 

Should you need additional information, please visit the NTIA website at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/psic. 
If you have further questions regarding the PSIC Grant Program, please contact your Preparedness 
Officer or the Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID) at 1-800-368-6498 or 
askcsid@dhs.gov.