Federal Sponsor Responsibilties

The primary roles of a Federal sponsor are to (1) review and determine whether to approve foreign, State, and local government and private industry requests for priority actions, and (2) affirm that the requested priority level assignment is appropriate. Although the final decision regarding the priority level is determined by the OPT, the sponsor provides specific knowledge that may affect the decision.

A Federal sponsor does not incur financial liability for the sponsored service. The service user is responsible for having funds allocated to pay any service costs related to the TSP processing.

Each Federal agency determines its own procedures for complying with sponsorship responsibilities. However, Federal sponsors are encouraged to keep their processing time for TSP requests to 5 working days or less. The general sponsorship process for TSP requests is as follows:

• The service user contacts the OPT for assistance in determining which Federal agency to approach for sponsorship of a TSP Request.
• The sponsor receives a SF 315 from a service user according to procedures established by that sponsor.
• If the sponsor denies the request, the sponsor returns the SF 315 to the service user POC along with the reason for refusal.
• If the sponsor approves the request, the sponsor forwards the SF 315 to the OPT with a recommended disposition. This recommendation is the result of the process for determining a priority level, as described in Chapter 3.
• A sponsor or user may appeal any priority assignment or other priority action regarding sponsored services within 30 days of notification. The priority action appeal process is discussed in detail in Chapter 6.

Sponsors are also required to cooperate with the OPT during reconciliations and revalidations of any service they sponsor; comply with any regulations and procedures issued by the OPT; and forward all changes in TSP service information to the OPT in a timely manner.

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Designation of Federal Sponsors

Any Federal agency may be requested to function as a sponsor for TSP assignment requests from non-Federal Government service users. Federal agencies should refer to EO 12656, "Assignment of Emergency Preparedness Responsibilities," dated November 18, 1988, as a guide for identifying which requests they may consider sponsoring. EO 12656 is available from the OPT upon request. However, certain Federal agencies are responsible for sponsoring specific non-Federal requests:

• State and Local Governments. The NCS serves as the sponsor for State and local governments requesting TSP assignments for services supporting NS/EP functions.
• Foreign Governments. The Department of State serves as the sponsor for foreign governments requesting TSP assignments for services within U.S. jurisdiction supporting NS/EP functions. The Department of Defense serves as the sponsor for foreign militaries.
• Private Industry. Private or quasi-government entities may determine that they have telecommunications services supporting NS/EP functions and want TSP assignments for those services. Private industry service users should contact the OPT for assistance in identifying the most appropriate Federal agency for sponsorship. The sponsor is either an agency with whom the requestor has a contractual relationship or an agency familiar with the NS/EP function for which the TSP assignment is requested. Note that the NCS will serve as the Federal sponsor for telecommunications service vendors with services supporting NS/EP functions.

Federal agencies are required to designate the official(s) within their agencies who is (are) authorized to sponsor requests for TSP assignments from non-Federal Government service users. The sponsoring official(s) must be identified in writing to the OPT prior to, or concurrent with, sponsoring a TSP request. Federal agencies must provide the following information about their sponsors: name, title, rank or grade, mailing address, e-mail address, and commercial phone number of the sponsoring official(s). The sponsorship information must be submitted on the agency's letterhead. Sponsoring official(s), and any changes thereto, should be reported to the OPT as soon as these individuals are identified

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