§ 7257c. Digital educational programming grants

(a) Grants The Secretary is authorized to award grants under section 7257(b) of this title to eligible entities to facilitate the development of educational programming that shall—

(1) include student assessment tools to provide feedback on student academic achievement;

(2) include built-in teacher utilization and support components to ensure that teachers understand and can easily use the content of the programming with group instruction or for individual student use;

(3) be created for, or adaptable to, challenging State academic content standards and student academic achievement standards; and

(4) be capable of distribution through digital broadcasting and school digital networks.

(b) Eligible entities

To be eligible to receive a grant under section 7257(b) of this title, an entity shall be a local public telecommunications entity, as defined in section 397(12) of title 47, that is able to demonstrate a capacity for the development and distribution of educational and instructional television programming of high quality.

(c) Competitive basis

Grants under section 7257(b) of this title shall be awarded on a competitive basis as determined by the Secretary.

(d) Matching requirement

To be eligible to receive a grant under section 7257(b) of this title, an entity shall contribute to the activities assisted under such grant non-Federal matching funds in an amount equal to not less than 100 percent of the amount of the grant. Such matching funds may include funds provided for the transition to digital broadcasting, as well as in-kind contributions.

(e) Duration

A grant under section 7257(b) of this title shall be awarded for a period of 3 years in order to provide a sufficient period of time for the creation of a substantial body of significant content.

(Pub. L. 89–10, title V, § 5484, as added Pub. L. 107–110, title V, § 501, Jan. 8, 2002, 115 Stat. 1838.)