This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

13797 

Vol. 76, No. 49 

Monday, March 14, 2011 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Rural Broadband Access Loans and 

Loan Guarantees Program 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Solicitation of 

Applications (NOSA). 

SUMMARY: This NOSA announces that 

the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is 

accepting applications for fiscal year 

(FY) 2011 for the Rural Broadband 

Access Loan and Loan Guarantee 

program (the Broadband Program), 

subject to the availability of funding. 

This notice is being issued prior to 

passage of a final appropriations act to 

allow potential applicants time to 

submit proposals and give the Agency 

time to process applications within the 

current fiscal year. RUS will publish a 

subsequent notice identifying the 

amount received in the final 

appropriations act, if any. At this time, 

the agency estimates that approximately 

$700 million may be available for loans 

from prior appropriations; however, 

Congress is presently reviewing budget 

authority across the Federal government 

in an attempt to reduce government 

debt. As a result, expenses incurred in 

developing applications will be at the 

applicant’s own risk. 

In addition to announcing the 

application window, RUS announces 

the minimum and maximum amounts 

for broadband loans for the fiscal year. 

Moreover, the agency is concurrently 

publishing a interim rule that will revise 

the current Broadband Program 

regulations at 7 CFR part 1738, as 

necessitated by the Food, Conservation, 

and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm 

Bill). 

DATES: Applications under this NOSA 

will be accepted immediately, subject to 

the requirements of the interim 

regulation published concurrently with 

this NOSA. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information contact Kenneth 

Kuchno, Director, Broadband Division, 

Rural Development, STOP 1599, 1400 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–1599, 

Telephone (202) 690–4673, Facsimile 

(202) 690–4389. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Application Requirements and 

Addresses 

All requirements and addresses for 

submission of an application under the 

Broadband Program will be set forth in 

the interim regulation published 

concurrently with this NOSA. 

Application Materials 

Applications for the Broadband 

Program will be available at http://www.

rurdev.usda.gov/utp_farmbill.html. 

General Information 

The Rural Broadband Access Loan 

and Loan Guarantee Program is 

authorized by the Rural Electrification 

Act (7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.), as amended 

by the 2008 Farm Bill. 

Applications must be submitted in 

accordance with the interim regulation 

published concurrently with this NOSA. 

This application guide to assist in the 

preparation of applications is available 

at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/utp_

farmbill.html. Application guides may 

also be requested from RUS by 

contacting the agency contact. 

Minimum and Maximum Loan 

Amounts 

Loans under this authority will not be 

made for less than $100,000. The 

maximum loan amount that will be 

considered for FY 2011 is $100 million. 

Required Definitions for Broadband 

Program Regulation 

The interim regulation for the 

Broadband Program requires that certain 

definitions affecting eligibility be 

revised and published from time to time 

by the agency in the Federal Register. 

For the purposes of this interim 

regulation, the agency shall use the 

following definitions: 

Broadband Service and Broadband 

Lending Speed. Until otherwise revised 

in the Federal Register, for applications 

in FY 2011, to qualify as broadband 

service, the minimum rate-of-data 

transmission shall be three megabits per 

second (download plus upload speeds) 

for both fixed and mobile broadband 

service and the broadband lending 

speed will be a minimum bandwidth of 

5 megabits per second for both fixed and 

mobile service to the customer 

(download plus upload speeds). 

Incumbent Service Provider. For a 

service provider to be considered an 

incumbent service provider they must 

demonstrate that five percent of the 

households in a proposed funded 

service area are buying broadband 

service from them. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, the information 

collection requirements associated with 

Broadband loans, as covered in this 

NOSA, have been approved by the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) under OMB Control Number 

0572–0130. 

Dated: March 8, 2011. 

Jessica Zufolo, 

Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–5611 Filed 3–11–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with RULES3