Payments for Small Community Air Service Development

The Small Community Program is authorized to receive appropriations under 49 U.S.C. � 41743(e)(2). Appropriations are provided for this program for award selection in FY 2022 pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Pub. L. No. 116-94), and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022(Pub. L. No. 117-103). The Department will make up to $15 million available for FY 2022 grant awards to carry out this program. When selecting applicants to participate in the Small Community Program, the Department is statutorily required to apply the following criteria for participation: (1) The airport serving the community or consortium is not larger than a small hub airport, as determined using the FAA�s most recently published classification effective on the Department�s set application deadline (due date). (2) The airport has insufficient air carrier service or unreasonably high airfares. (3) The airport presents characteristics, such as geographic diversity or unique circumstances, that demonstrate the need for, and feasibility of, the Small Community Program. (4) An applicant may not receive an additional grant to support the same project more than once in a 10-year period, except that, in certain circumstances (provided under 49 U.S.C. � 41743(c)(4)(C), the Department may waive the same project limitation. (5) An applicant may not receive an additional grant, prior to the completion of its previous grant. Program Limits: (1) No more than 4 communities or consortia of communities, or a combination thereof, from the same State may be selected to participate in the program in any fiscal year; and (2) No more than 40 communities or consortia of communities, or a combination thereof, may be selected to participate in the program in each year for which the funds are appropriated. Applications for renewal or supplemental of existing projects are not eligible to compete. In addition, the statute directs the Department priority to those communities, or consortia of communities where: a) air fares are higher than the average air fares for all communities, (b) a portion of the cost of the activity contemplated by the community is provided from local, non-airport revenue sources; (c) a public-private partnership has been or will be established to facilitate air carrier service to the public; (d) improved service will bring the material benefits of scheduled air transportation to a broad section of the traveling public, including businesses, educational institutions, and other enterprises whose access to the national air transportation system is limited; (e) the assistance will be used to help restore scheduled passenger air service that has been terminated; (f) the funds will be used in a timely manner; and (g) multiple communities cooperate to submit a regional or multistate application to consolidate air service into one regional airport. The Department is authorized to award grants to communities that seek to provide assistance to: A U.S. air carrier to subsidize service to and from an underserved airport for a period not to exceed 3 years, An underserved airport to obtain service to and from the underserved airport; and/or An underserved airport to implement such other measures as the Secretary, in consultation with such airport, considers appropriate to improve air service both in terms of the cost of such service to consumers and the availability of such service, including improving air service through marketing and promotion of air service and enhanced utilization of airport facilities. Consortium Applications: Both individual communities and consortia of communities are eligible for SCASDP funds. An application from a consortium of communities must be one that seeks to facilitate the efforts of the communities working together toward one joint grant project, with one joint objective, including the establishment of one entity to ensure that the joint objective is accomplished. Multiple Applications: A community may file only one application for a grant, either individually or as part of a consortium.