Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 191 / Tuesday, October 3, 2006 / Notices 58371 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20250. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Rural Business Enterprise 

Grants and Televisions Demonstration 

Grants. 

OMB Number: 0570–0022. 

Expiration Date of Approval: January 

1, 2007 

Type of Request: Extension of a 

currently approved information 

collection. 

Abstract: The objective of the RBEG 

program is to facilitate the development 

of small and emerging private 

businesses in rural areas. This purpose 

is achieved through grants made by RBS 

to public bodies and nonprofit 

corporations. Television Demonstration 

grants are available to private nonprofit 

public television systems to provide 

information on agriculture and other 

issues of importance to farmers and the 

rural residents. The regulation contains 

various requirements for information 

from the grantees, and some 

requirements may cause the grantees to 

require information from other parties. 

The information requested is vital for 

RBS to be able to process applications 

in a responsible manner, make prudent 

program decisions, and effectively 

monitor the grantees’ activities to 

protect the Government’s financial 

interest and ensure that funds obtained 

from the Government are used 

appropriately. It includes information to 

determine eligibility; the specific 

purpose for which grant funds will be 

used; timeframes; who will be carrying 

out the grant purposes; project priority; 

applicant experience; employment 

improvement; and mitigation of 

economic distress. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 2.5 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Nonprofit corporations 

and public bodies. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

720. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 12. 

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 

8,640. 

Estimated Number of Hours Per 

Response: 2.5. 

Estimated Total Hours: 21,600 hours. 

Copies of this information collection 

can be obtained from Cheryl Thompson, 

Regulations and Paperwork 

Management Branch, at (202) 692–0043. 

Comments: Comments are invited on: 

(a) Whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of RBS, 

including whether the information will 

have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of 

the RBS estimate of the burden of the 

proposed collection of information, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who are to respond, including 

through the use of appropriate 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other technological collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology. Comments may be sent to 

Renita Bolden, Regulations and 

Paperwork Management Branch, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Rural 

Development, STOP 0742, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250. All responses to this notice 

will be summarized and included in the 

request for Office of Management and 

Budget approval. All comments will 

also become a matter of public record. 

Dated: September 26, 2006. 

Jackie J. Gleason, 

Administrator, Rural Business—Cooperative 

Service. 

[FR Doc. E6–16286 Filed 10–2–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Publication of Depreciation Rates 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service 

(RUS), an agency delivering the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture’s Rural 

Development Utilities Programs, hereby 

announces the depreciation rates for 

telecommunications plant for the period 

ending December 31, 2005. 

DATES: These rates are effective 

immediately and will remain in effect 

until rates are available for the period 

ending December 31, 2006. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jonathan P. Claffey, Deputy Assistant 

Administrator, Telecommunications 

Program, Rural Development Utilities 

Programs, STOP 1590—Room 5151, 

1400 Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–1590. 

Telephone: (202) 720–9556. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the 

USDA Rural Development regulation 7 

CFR part 1737, Pre-Loan Policies and 

Procedures Common to Insured and 

Guaranteed Telecommunications Loans, 

section 1737.70(e) explains the 

depreciation rates that are used by 

USDA Rural Development in its 

feasibility studies. Section 1737.70(e)(2) 

refers to median depreciation rates 

published by USDA Rural Development 

for all borrowers. The following chart 

provides those rates, compiled by USDA 

Rural Development, for the reporting 

period ending December 31, 2005: 

MEDIAN DEPRECIATION RATES OF

USDA RURAL DEVELOPMENT BORROWERS BY EQUIPMENT CATEGORY

FOR PERIOD ENDING DECEMBER 31, 

2005 

Telecommunications plant 

category 

Depreciation 

rate 

1. Land and Support Assets: 

a. Motor Vehicles .............. 16.00 

b. Aircraft ........................... 10.00 

c. Special purpose vehicles ................................ 12.00 

d. Garage and other work 

equipment ...................... 10.00 

e. Buildings ....................... 3.20 

f. Furniture and Office 

equipment ...................... 10.00 

g. General purpose computers ............................. 20.00 

2. Central Office Switching: 

a. Digital ............................ 8.45 

b. Analog & Electro-mechanical ......................... 10.00 

c. Operator Systems ......... 10.00 

3. Central Office Transmission: 

a. Radio Systems .............. 9.24 

b. Circuit equipment .......... 10.00 

4. Information origination/termination: 

a. Station apparatus .......... 12.00 

b. Customer premises wiring .................................. 10.00 

c. Large private branch exchanges ......................... 12.50 

d. Public telephone terminal equipment ............ 11.40 

e. Other terminal equipment ............................... 10.35 

5. Cable and wire facilities: 

a. Aerial cable—Poles ...... 6.37 

b. Aerial cable—Metal ....... 5.90 

c. Aerial cable—Fiber ....... 5.10 

d. Underground cable— 

Metal .............................. 5.00 

e. Underground cable— 

Fiber .............................. 5.00 

f. Buried cable—Metal ...... 5.00 

g. Buried cable—Fiber ...... 5.00 

h. Conduit systems ........... 3.33 

i. Other .............................. 8.34 

Dated: September 22, 2006. 

James M. Andrew, 

Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. 06–8323 Filed 10–2–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 


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