; and (2) recommendations for modifications to the TIFIA program. III Research, technology, and education 3001. Surface transportation system funding alternatives (a) In general The Secretary shall establish a program to test the feasibility of a road usage fee and other user-based alternative revenue mechanisms to maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund, through pilot projects at the State and regional level. (b) Grants The Secretary shall provide grants to States and groups of States to carry out pilot projects under this section. (c) Applications To be eligible for a grant under this section, a State or group of States shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. (d) Objectives The Secretary shall ensure that the activities carried out using funds provided under this section meet the following objectives: (1) To test the design, acceptance, equity, and implementation of user-based alternative revenue mechanisms, including among differing income groups and among rural and urban drivers. (2) To provide recommendations regarding adoption and implementation of user-based alternative revenue mechanisms. (3) To quantify and minimize the administrative costs of any potential user-based alternative revenue mechanisms. (4) To test a variety of solutions, including the use of third-party vendors, for the collection of data and road usage fees, including the reliability and security of those solutions and vendors. (5) To test solutions to ensure the privacy and security of data collected for the purpose of implementing a user-based alternative revenue mechanism. (6) To conduct public education and outreach to increase public awareness regarding the need for road usage fees or other user-based alternative revenue mechanisms for surface transportation programs. (7) To evaluate the ease of compliance and enforcement of a variety of implementation approaches for different users of the transportation system. (e) Use