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

75920

Vol. 65, No. 234

Tuesday, December 5, 2000

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service

Construction and Installation of

Broadband Telecommunications

Services in Rural America; Availability

of Loan Funds

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Funds Availability.

SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service

(RUS) announces a new loan program

and the availability of loan funds under

this program to finance the construction

and installation of broadband

telecommunications services in rural

America. The President of the United

States and the United States Congress

have made $100 million in treasury rate

loan funds available, through a one-year

Pilot Program, to encourage

telecommunications carriers to provide

broadband service to rural consumers

where such service does not currently

exist. This program will provide loan

funds, on an expedited basis, to

communities up to 20,000 inhabitants to

ensure rural consumers enjoy the same

quality and range of

telecommunications services that are

available in urban and suburban

communities. Loan funds are available

immediately and applications will be

processed and approved on a first-come,

first served basis throughout FY 2001

until the appropriation is utilized in its

entirety.

DATES: Applications for loans will be

accepted as of the date of this notice and

will be accepted anytime on or before

September 30, 2001; however, all

applications must be postmarked no

later than September 30, 2001.

Applications will be processed and

approved on a first-come, first-served

basis until the $100 million

appropriation is utilized in its entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Roberta D. Purcell, Assistant

Administrator, Telecommunications

Program, Rural Utilities Service, STOP

1590, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20250–1590,

Telephone (202) 720–9554, Facsimile

(202) 720–0810.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

General Information

For FY 2001, $100 million in loans

will be made available for the

construction and installation of facilities

and for other costs as RUS deems

necessary to provide broadband services

in rural areas. The broadband pilot

program is authorized by 7 U.S.C. 950

aaa.

Applications

Applications will be accepted as

discussed previously in the ‘‘Dates’’

section. All interested parties are

strongly encouraged to contact the Rural

Utilities Service, USDA to discuss its

financial needs and eligibility.

Use of Loan Funds

Loan funds may be used to finance

the improvement, expansion,

construction, and operation of systems

or facilities to furnish or improve

broadband service in rural areas.

Definition of Broadband Services

As used in this notice, the term

broadband services means providing an

information rate equivalent to at least

200 kilobits/second in the consumer’s

connection to the network, both from

the provider to the consumer

(downstream) and from the consumer to

the provider (upstream).

Definition of Rural Area

As used in this notice, rural area

means any area of the United States not

included within the boundaries of any

incorporated or unincorporated city,

village, or borough having a population

in excess of 20,000 inhabitants.

Loan Terms

For FY 2001, $100 million in loans

will be made available to eligible

applicants. The loans will bear interest

at the comparable Treasury rate for

comparable maturities not to exceed ten

years.

Eligible Applicants

Loans may be made to legally

organized entities providing, or

proposing to provide, broadband

services in rural areas. Eligible entities

may be public bodies, cooperatives,

nonprofits, and limited dividend or

mutual associations and must be

incorporated or a limited liability

company.

RUS Findings

Feasibility of and security for the

Loan. A borrower shall provide RUS

with satisfactory evidence to enable the

Administrator to determine that the

security for the loan is reasonably

adequate and that the loan will be

repaid on time. Factors used in making

this determination include, but are not

limited to:

(1) Evidence of sufficient revenues

from the borrower’s system, in excess of

operating expenditures (including

maintenance and replacement), for full

repayment of the loan with interest;

(2) Reasonable assurance of achieving

market penetration projections upon

which the loan is based;

(3) Adequate security for the loan;

(4) Appropriate financial controls

included in the loan documents; and

(5) Other factors determined relevant

by RUS.

Loan Application

RUS suggests that an application for

a loan pursuant to this notice include a

loan design that contains a forecast of

service requirements and a narrative

describing the planned construction and

delivery of broadband services. The

narrative should detail the purposes and

amounts of the proposed project

including construction, the proposed

service area, and the basis for subscriber

forecasts. Other items include:

(1) Certified financial statements, if

available;

(2) 10 years of pro-forma financial

information;

(3) An environmental report;

(4) Depreciation rates for the

equipment being financed;

(5) A sketch or map showing existing

and proposed service areas;

(6) A description of the current level

of service available;

(7) All other required forms for

Federal assistance; and

(8) If not a current RUS borrower,

information on the owners and

principal employees’ relevant work

experience that would ensure the

success of the project.

Loan Security

Loans must be repaid according to

their terms. RUS will require security to

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 234 / Tuesday, December 5, 2000 / Notices 75921

be provided for each loan. RUS

generally obtains a lien on all the

property financed by the loans. The

borrower will need to provide adequate

security and execute the appropriate

legal documents.

Evaluation Criteria

Loan applications will be accepted as

of the date of this notice and will be

processed and approved on a first-come,

first served basis throughout FY 2001

until the appropriation is utilized in its

entirety provided that:

(1) The loan is for approved loan

purposes for broadband

telecommunications services in rural

areas;

(2) The loan is deemed to be feasible

and adequate security is provided;

(3) The system design is appropriate;

and

(4) All other applicable Federal

requirements are met.

Dated: November 27, 2000.

Christopher A. McLean,

Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.

[FR Doc. 00–30872 Filed 12–4–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P

BROADCASTING BOARD OF

GOVERNORS

Sunshine Act Meeting

DATE AND TIME: December 12, 2000; 8:30

a.m.–4 p.m.

PLACE: Cohen Building, Room 3321, 330

Independence Ave., SW., Washington,

DC 20237.

Closed Meeting

The members of the Broadcasting

Board of Governors (BBG) will meet in

closed session to review and discuss a

number of issues relating to U.S.

Government-funded non-military

international broadcasting. They will

address internal procedural, budgetary,

and personnel issues, as well as

sensitive foreign policy issues relating

to potential options in the U.S.

international broadcasting field. This

meeting is closed because if open it

likely would either disclose matters that

would be properly classified to be kept

secret in the interest of foreign policy

under the appropriate executive order (5

U.S.C. 552b.(c)(1)) or would disclose

information the premature disclosure of

which would be likely to significantly

frustrate implementation of a proposed

agency action. (5 U.S.C. 552b.(c)(9)(B))

In addition, part of the discussion will

relate solely to the internal personnel

and organizational issues of the BBG or

the International Broadcasting Bureau.

(5 U.S.C. 552b.(c)(2) and (6)).

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Persons interested in obtaining more

information should contact either

Brenda Hardnett or Carol Booker at

(202) 401–3736.

Dated: December 1, 2000.

Carol Booker,

Legal Counsel.

Certification

Based on the information provided to

me, the meeting scheduled by the

Broadcasting Board of Governors for

December 12, 2000, may be closed to the

public pursuant to sections (c)(1), (2),

(6), and 9(B) of the Government in the

Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. 552b.).

Issues qualifying for closure of the

meeting will be inextricably intertwined

with issues which do not so qualify.

During the course of the meeting there

will be discussions relating to foreign

policy options (c)(1), internal BBG or

IBB personnel, budgetary, and

organizational matters (c)(2), the

performance or selection of personnel

(c)(6), and options for negotiations or

other sensitive discussions within the

U.S. or abroad. (c)(9)(B).

Carol Booker,

BBG Legal Counsel.

[FR Doc. 00–31031 Filed 12–1–00; 2:29 pm]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A–823–805]

Suspension Agreement on

Silicomanganese from Ukraine;

Preliminary Results of Administrative

Review

AGENCY: Import Administration,

International Trade Administration,

Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of preliminary results of

the administrative review of the

suspension agreement on

silicomanganese from Ukraine.

SUMMARY: In response to a request from

Eramet Marietta Inc. (petitioner), the

Department of Commerce (‘‘the

Department’’) is conducting an

administrative review of the suspension

agreement on silicomanganese from

Ukraine (‘‘the Agreement’’) for the

period November 1, 1998 through

October 31, 1999, to review the current

status of, and compliance with, the

Agreement. For the reasons stated in

this notice, the Department

preliminarily determines that the

Government of Ukraine (‘‘the GOU’’) is

not in compliance with the Agreement.

The preliminary results are listed in the

section titled ‘‘Preliminary Results of

Review,’’ infra. Interested parties are

invited to comment on these

preliminary results. Parties who submit

comments are requested to submit with

the argument: (1) A statement of the

issues, and (2) a brief summary of the

arguments.

EFFECTIVE DATE: December 5, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jean

Kemp or Carrie Blozy, Import

Administration, International Trade

Administration, U.S. Department of

Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution

Avenue, N.W., Washington D.C. 20230;

telephone: (202) 482–4037 or (202) 482–

0165, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Applicable Statute

Unless otherwise indicated, all

citations to the statute are references to

the provisions effective January 1, 1995,

the effective date of the amendments

made to the Tariff Act of 1930 (‘‘Act’’)

by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act

(‘‘URAA’’). In addition, unless

otherwise indicated, all citations to the

Department’s regulations are to 19 CFR

Part 351 (2000).

Background

On October 31, 1994, the Department

signed an agreement with the

Government of Ukraine which

suspended the antidumping

investigation on silicomanganese from

Ukraine. See Silicomanganese from

Ukraine; Suspension of Investigation, 59

FR 60951 (November 29, 1994). In

accordance with section 734(g) of the

Act, on December 6, 1994, the

Department published its final

determination of sales at less than fair

value in this case. See Notice of Final

Determination of Sales at Less Than

Fair Value: Silicomanganese From

Ukraine, 59 FR 62711 (December 6,

1994).

On November 30, 1999, petitioner

submitted a request for an

administrative review pursuant to the

notice of Antidumping and

Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or

Suspended Investigation; Opportunity

to Request Administrative Review, 64

FR 62167 (November 16, 1999). On

December 28, 1999, the Department

initiated a review of the Agreement. See

Notice of Initiation of Antidumping and

Countervailing Duty Administrative

Reviews (‘‘Initiation Notice’’), 64 FR

72644 (December 28, 1999).

On August 4, 2000, the Department

extended the time limit for the

preliminary results of review by 120

days. See Notice of Extension of Time