75120 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 242 / Wednesday, December 17, 2014 / Notices 

seen by, and hear other participants, and to 

see written documents and screens, as well 

as, or better than, if all of the participants 

were together in person. These general 

principles should guide agencies’ 

consideration in creating the best hearing 

room conditions: 

(a) Lighting should be placed in a way to 

create well-dispersed, horizontal, ambient 

light throughout all rooms used in the 

proceeding; 

(b) Noise transference should be kept to a 

minimum by: 

(i) Locating hearing rooms in the inner area 

of the office and away from any noise or 

vibration-producing elements (e.g., elevator 

shafts, mechanical rooms, plumbing, and 

high-traffic corridors); and 

(ii) Installing solid doors with door sweeps, 

walls that run from floor to ceiling, and 

sound absorption panels on the walls. 

(c) Room de ́cor, including colors and 

finishes of walls and furniture, should allow 

for the camera(s) to easily capture the 

image(s). 

3. Agencies should retain technical staff to 

support VTC operators and maintain 

equipment. 

Training 

4. Agencies should provide training for 

agency staff, especially judges, who will 

operate the VTC equipment during the 

hearing. Agencies should also provide a 

reference chart or ‘‘cheat sheet’’ to keep with 

each VTC system that provides basic system 

operation directions that operators can easily 

reference, as well as a phone number (or 

other rapid contact information) for reaching 

technical staff. 

5. Agencies should provide advanced 

training for technical support staff to ensure 

they are equipped to maintain the VTC 

equipment and provide support to operators, 

including during a proceeding if a problem 

arises. 

Financial Considerations 

6. The capabilities and costs of VTC 

systems vary widely. Before purchasing or 

updating their VTC systems, agencies should 

first consider their hearing needs (e.g., the 

needs of hearings conducted by judges at 

their desks with a single party will be 

different than the needs of hearings 

conducted in full-sized federal courtrooms 

with multiple participants and attendees 

present at several locations) both now and in 

the future (e.g., the bandwidth needed today 

may be different than the bandwidth needed 

tomorrow). 

7. Once agencies have identified their 

hearing needs, they should consider the costs 

and benefits of implementing, maintaining, 

and updating their VTC systems to suit those 

needs. 

(a) Costs to be considered include those 

associated with purchasing, installing, and 

maintaining the VTC system; creating and 

maintaining the conditions necessary to 

allow participants to see and hear each other 

clearly; and providing training to staff. 

(b) Benefits to be considered include better 

access to justice by increased accessibility to 

hearings, more efficient use of time for judges 

and staff, reduced travel costs and delays, 

and backlog reductions. 

Procedural Practices 

8. Judges should consider how to establish 

and maintain control of the hearing room, 

such as by wearing robes as a symbol of 

authority, appearing on the screen before the 

other participants enter the room(s), 

requiring parties and representatives to use 

hand signals to indicate that they would like 

to speak, and reminding representatives that 

they are officers of the court. 

9. Agencies should install VTC equipment 

so that judges can control the camera at the 

other location(s), if possible. 

10. Agency staff should ensure that the 

hearing will run as smoothly as possible by 

removing any obstacles blocking lines-ofsight between the camera and participants 

and testing the audio on a regular basis. 

Fairness and Satisfaction 

11. Agencies should periodically assess 

their VTC hearings program to ensure that 

the use of VTC produces outcomes that are 

comparable to those achieved during inperson hearings. 

12. Agencies should maintain open lines of 

communication with representatives in order 

to receive feedback about the use of VTC. 

Post-hearing surveys or other appropriate 

methods should be used to collect 

information about the experience and 

satisfaction of participants. 

Collaboration Among Agencies 

13. Agencies should consider sharing VTC 

facilities and expertise with each other in 

order to reduce costs and increase efficiency, 

while maintaining a fair and satisfying 

hearing experience. 

14. Agencies that conduct hearings should 

work with the General Services 

Administration (GSA) in procuring and 

planning facilities that will best 

accommodate the needs of VTC hearings. 

Development of a Video Teleconferencing 

Hearings Handbook 

15. The Office of the Chairman of the 

Administrative Conference of the United 

States should create a handbook on the use 

of VTC in hearings and related proceedings 

that will be updated from time to time as 

technology changes. The handbook should 

reflect consultation with GSA and other 

agencies with VTC hearings expertise. It 

should be made publicly accessible online to 

agencies, and include specific guidance 

regarding equipment, conditions, training 

that meets industry standards, and methods 

for collecting feedback from participants. 

[FR Doc. 2014–29546 Filed 12–17–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6110–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Announcement of Grant Application 

Deadlines and Funding Levels 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of solicitation of 

applications (NOSA). 

SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service, a 

Rural Development agency of the United 

States Department of Agriculture 

(USDA), herein referred to as RUS or the 

Agency, announces its Community 

Connect Grant Program application 

window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015. 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 on its Web 

site the amount of funding received in 

any continuing resolution or the final 

appropriations act, if any. Expenses 

incurred in developing applications will 

be at the applicant’s risk. 

In addition to announcing the 

application window, RUS announces 

the minimum and maximum amounts 

for Community Connect grants 

applicable for the fiscal year. The 

Community Connect Grant Program 

regulations can be found at 7 CFR 1739, 

subpart A. 

DATES: You may submit completed 

applications for grants on paper or 

electronically according to the following 

deadlines: 

• Paper copies must carry proof of 

shipping no later than February 17, 

2015 to be eligible for FY 2015 grant 

funding. Late applications are not 

eligible for FY 2015 grant funding. 

• Electronic copies must be received 

by February 17, 2015 to be eligible for 

FY 2015 grant funding. Late 

applications are not eligible for FY 2015 

grant funding. 

ADDRESSES: You may obtain application 

guides and materials for the Community 

Connect Grant Program via the Internet 

at the following Web site: http://

www.rurdev.usda.gov/utp_

commconnect.html. You may also 

request application guides and materials 

from RUS by contacting the appropriate 

individual listed in section VII of the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of 

this notice. 

Submit completed paper applications 

for grants to the Rural Utilities Service, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Room 2808, 

STOP 1597, Washington, DC 20250– 

1597. Applications should be marked 

‘‘Attention: Deputy Assistant 

Administrator, Loan Origination and 

Approval Division, Rural Utilities 

Service.’’ 

Submit electronic grant applications 

at http://www.grants.gov (Grants.gov), 

following the instructions you find on 

that Web site. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Shawn Arner, Deputy Assistant 

Administrator, Loan Origination and 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 242 / Wednesday, December 17, 2014 / Notices 75121 

Approval Division, Rural Utilities 

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

telephone: (202) 720–0800, fax: (202) 

205–2921. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview 

Federal Agency: Rural Utilities 

Service (RUS). 

Funding Opportunity Title: 

Community Connect Grant Program. 

Announcement Type: Initial 

announcement. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.863. 

Dates: You may submit completed 

applications for grants on paper or 

electronically according to the following 

deadlines: 

• Paper copies must carry proof of 

shipping no later than February 17, 

2015, to be eligible for FY 2015 grant 

funding. Late applications are not 

eligible for FY 2015 grant funding. 

• Electronic copies must be received 

by February 17, 2015, to be eligible for 

FY 2015 grant funding. Late 

applications are not eligible for FY 2015 

grant funding. 

Items in Supplementary Information 

I. Funding Opportunity: Brief introduction 

to the Community Connect Grant Program. 

II. Award Information: Minimum and 

maximum amounts. 

III. Eligibility Information: Who is eligible, 

what kinds of projects are eligible, what 

criteria determine basic eligibility. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information: Where to get application 

materials, what constitutes a completed 

application, how and where to submit 

applications, deadlines, items that are 

eligible. 

V. Application Review Information: 

Considerations and preferences, scoring 

criteria, review standards, selection 

information. 

VI. Award Administration Information: 

Award notice information, award recipient 

reporting requirements. 

VII. Agency Contacts: Web, phone, fax, 

email, contact name. 

I. Funding Opportunity 

RUS improves the quality of life in 

rural America by providing investment 

capital, in the form of loans and grants, 

for the deployment of rural 

telecommunications infrastructure. 

Financial assistance is provided to rural 

utilities; municipalities; commercial 

corporations; limited liability 

companies; public utility districts; 

Indian tribes; and cooperative, 

nonprofit, limited-dividend, or mutual 

associations. In order to achieve the goal 

of increasing economic opportunity in 

rural America, the Agency finances 

infrastructure that enables access to a 

seamless, nation-wide 

telecommunications network. With 

access to the same advanced 

telecommunications networks of its 

urban counterparts, especially 

broadband networks designed to 

accommodate distance learning, 

telework and telemedicine, rural 

America will see improving educational 

opportunities, health care, economies, 

safety and security, and ultimately 

higher employment. Of particular 

concern to the Agency are communities 

where broadband service is not 

available and where population 

densities are such that the cost of 

deployment to them is high and 

buildout of infrastructure is unlikely. 

The provision of broadband service is 

vital to the economic development, 

education, health, and safety of rural 

Americans. The purpose of the 

Community Connect Grant Program is to 

provide financial assistance in the form 

of grants to eligible applicants that will 

provide currently unserved areas, on a 

‘‘community-oriented connectivity’’ 

basis, with broadband service that 

fosters economic growth and delivers 

enhanced educational, health care, and 

public safety services. RUS will give 

priority to rural areas that have the 

greatest need for broadband services, 

based on the criteria contained herein. 

Grant authority will be used for the 

deployment of broadband service to 

extremely rural, lower-income 

communities on a ‘‘community-oriented 

connectivity’’ basis. The ‘‘communityoriented connectivity’’ concept will 

stimulate practical, everyday uses and 

applications of broadband facilities by 

cultivating the deployment of new 

broadband services that improve 

economic development and provide 

enhanced educational and health care 

opportunities in rural areas. Such an 

approach will also give rural 

communities the opportunity to benefit 

from the advanced technologies that are 

necessary to achieve these goals. Please 

see 7 CFR part 1739, subpart A, for 

specifics. 

This notice has been formatted to 

conform to a policy directive issued by 

the Office of Federal Financial 

Management (OFFM) of the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB), 

published in the Federal Register on 

June 23, 2003. This Notice does not 

change the Community Connect Grant 

Program regulation (7 CFR 1739, subpart 

A). 

The definitions applicable to this 

Notice are published at 7 CFR 1739.3. 

The Agency will review, evaluate, and 

score applications received in response 

to this Notice based on the provisions 

found in 7 CFR 1739, subpart A, and as 

indicated in this notice. 

II. Award Information 

A. Available Funds 

1. General. Under 7 CFR 1739.2, the 

Administrator has established a 

minimum grant amount of $100,000 and 

a maximum grant amount of $3,000,000 

for FY 2015. 

2. Assistance instrument. RUS will 

execute grant documents appropriate to 

the project prior to any advance of funds 

with successful applicants. 

B. Community Connect grants cannot be 

renewed. 

Award documents specify the term of 

each award. 

III. Eligibility Information 

A. Who is eligible for a Community 

Connect grant? (See 7 CFR 1739.10.) 

1. Only entities legally organized as 

one of the following are eligible for 

Community Connect Grant Program 

financial assistance: 

a. An incorporated organization, 

b. An Indian tribe or tribal 

organization, as defined in 25 U.S.C. 

450b (e), 

c. A state or local unit of government, 

or 

d. A cooperative, private corporation 

or limited liability company organized 

on a for-profit or not-for-profit basis. 

2. An applicant must have the legal 

capacity and authority to own and 

operate the broadband facilities as 

proposed in their application, to enter 

into contracts and to otherwise comply 

with applicable federal statutes and 

regulations. 

3. An applicant must have an active 

registration with current information in 

the System for Award Management 

(SAM) (previously the Central 

Contractor Registry (CCR)) at https://

www.sam.gov and have a Dun and 

Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) number. 

B. Who is not eligible for Community 

Connect grants? 

Individuals are not eligible for 

Community Connect Grant Program 

financial assistance directly. 

C. What are the basic eligibility 

requirements for a project? 

1. General. The regulation for the 

Community Connect Grant Program 

requires that certain definitions 

affecting eligibility be revised and 

published from time–to-time by the 

Agency in the Federal Register. For the 

purpose of this regulation, the Agency 

shall use the following definitions: 

‘‘Broadband service’’ and ‘‘Broadband 

Grant Speed.’’ Until otherwise revised 

in the Federal Register, for applications 

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75122 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 242 / Wednesday, December 17, 2014 / Notices 

in FY 2015, 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 service 

and the Broadband Grant Speed will be 

a minimum bandwidth of five megabits 

per second (download plus upload 

speeds) for both fixed and mobile 

service to the customer. 

2. Required matching contributions. 

Please see 7 CFR 1739.14 for the 

requirement. Grant applicants must 

demonstrate a matching contribution, in 

cash, of at least fifteen (15) percent of 

the total amount of financial assistance 

requested. Matching contributions must 

be used to support the broadband 

operations funded under the 

Community Connect Grant Program. 

3. To be eligible for a grant, the 

Project must (see 7 CFR 1739.11): 

a. Serve a Proposed Funded Service 

Area where Broadband Service does not 

currently exist, to be verified by RUS 

prior to the award of the grant; 

b. Offer service at the Broadband 

Grant Speed, free of all charges for at 

least 2 years, to all Critical Community 

Facilities located within the proposed 

Service Area; 

c. Offer service at the Broadband 

Grant Speed to all residential and 

business customers within the Proposed 

Funded Service Area; and 

d. Provide a Community Center with 

at least two (2) Computer Access Points 

and wireless access at the Broadband 

Grant Speed available, free of charge, to 

all users for at least 2 years. 

e. Not overlap with the Service area 

of current RUS borrowers and grantees. 

4. Other requirements: 

a. DUNS numbers and SAM 

registration: Applicants must have a 

Dun and Bradstreet DUNS number and 

be registered in System Awards 

Management (SAM) at https://

www.sam.gov prior to submitting an 

electronic or paper application. The 

DUNS number and SAM requirements 

are contained in 2 CFR part 25. SAM is 

the repository for standard information 

about applicants and recipients. 

b. DUNS Number: As required by the 

OMB, all applicants for grants must 

supply a Dun and Bradstreet DUNS 

number when applying. The Standard 

Form 424 (SF–424) contains a field for 

you to use when supplying your DUNS 

number. Obtaining a DUNS number 

costs nothing and requires a short 

telephone call to Dun and Bradstreet. 

Please see http://www.grants.gov/

applicants/org_step1.jsp for more 

information on how to obtain a DUNS 

number or how to verify your 

organization’s number. 

c. System for Award Management 

(SAM): In accordance with 2 CFR part 

25, applicants, whether applying 

electronically or by paper, must be 

registered in SAM prior to submitting an 

application. Applicants may register for 

the SAM at https://www.sam.gov. The 

SAM registration must remain active, 

with current information, at all times 

during which an entity has an 

application under consideration by an 

agency or has an active Federal Award. 

To remain registered in the SAM 

database after the initial registration, the 

applicant is required to review and 

update on an annual basis from the date 

of initial registration or subsequent 

updates of its information in the SAM 

database to ensure it is current, accurate 

and complete. 

C. Discussion of completed application 

items 

See paragraph IV.B of this notice for 

a discussion of the items that make up 

a completed application. Refer to 7 CFR 

1739.15 for completed grant application 

items. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

A. Where To Get Application 

Information 

The application guide, copies of 

necessary forms and samples, and the 

Community Connect Grant Program 

regulation are available from these 

sources: 

1. The Internet: http://

www.rurdev.usda.gov/utp_

commconnect.html. 

2. The Rural Utilities Service, Loan 

Origination and Approval Division, for 

paper copies of these materials: (202) 

720–0800. 

B. What constitutes a completed 

application? 

1. Detailed information on each item 

required can be found in the 

Community Connect Grant Program 

regulation and the Community Connect 

Grant Program application guide. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to 

read and apply both the regulation and 

the application guide. This Notice does 

not change the requirements for a 

completed application for any form of 

Community Connect Grant Program 

financial assistance specified in the 

Community Connect Grant Program 

regulation. The Community Connect 

Grant Program regulation and the 

application guide provide specific 

guidance on each of the items listed and 

the Community Connect Grant Program 

application guide provides all necessary 

forms and sample worksheets. 

2. Applications should be prepared in 

conformance with the provisions in 7 

CFR 1739, subpart A, and applicable 

USDA regulations including 7 CFR parts 

3015, 3016, and 3019. Applicants must 

use the RUS Application Guide for this 

program containing instructions and all 

necessary forms, as well as other 

important information, in preparing 

their application. Completed 

applications must include the following: 

a. An Application for Federal 

Assistance. A completed Standard Form 

(SF) 424. 

b. An executive summary of the 

Project. The applicant must provide 

RUS with a general project overview. 

c. Scoring criteria documentation. 

Each grant applicant must address and 

provide documentation on how it meets 

each of the scoring criteria detailed in 

7 CFR 1739.17. 

d. System design. The applicant must 

submit a system design, including, 

narrative specifics of the proposal, 

associated costs, maps, engineering 

design studies, technical specifications 

and system capabilities, etc. 

e. Service area demographics. The 

applicant must provide a map of the 

Proposed Funded Service Area using 

the RUS Mapping Tool. 

f. Scope of work. The scope of work 

must include specific activities and 

services to be performed under the 

proposal, who will carry out the 

activities and services, specific timeframes for completion, and a budget for 

all capital and administrative 

expenditures reflecting the line item 

costs for all grant purposes, the 

matching contribution, and other 

sources of funds necessary to complete 

the project. 

g. Community-Oriented Connectivity 

Plan. The applicant must provide a 

detailed Community-Oriented 

Connectivity Plan. 

h. Financial information and 

sustainability. The applicant must 

provide financial statements and 

information and a narrative description 

demonstrating the sustainability of the 

Project. 

i. A statement of experience. The 

applicant must provide a written 

narrative describing its demonstrated 

capability and experience, if any, in 

operating a broadband 

telecommunications system. 

j. Evidence of legal authority and 

existence. The applicant must provide 

evidence of its legal existence and 

authority to enter into a grant agreement 

with RUS and to perform the activities 

proposed under the grant application. 

k. Additional Funding. If the Project 

requires additional funding from other 

sources in addition to the RUS grant, the 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 242 / Wednesday, December 17, 2014 / Notices 75123 

applicant must provide evidence that 

funding agreements have been obtained 

to ensure completion of the Project. 

l. Federal Compliance. The applicant 

must provide evidence of compliance 

with other federal statutes and 

regulations, including, but not limited 

to the following: 

(i) 7 CFR part 15, subpart A— 

Nondiscrimination in Federally 

Assisted Programs of the Department of 

Agriculture—Effectuation of Title VI of 

the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

(ii) 7 CFR part 3015—Uniform Federal 

Assistance Regulations. 

(iii) 2 CFR part 180—OMB Guidelines 

to Agencies on Government-wide 

Debarment and Suspension 

(Nonprocurement) 

(iv) 2 CFR part 417—Nonprocurement 

Debarment and Suspension. 

(v) 7 CFR part 3018—New 

Restrictions on Lobbying. 

(vi) 2 CFR part 421—Governmentwide Requirements for Drug-Free 

Workplace (Financial Assistance). 

(vii) Certification regarding 

Architectural Barriers. 

(viii) Certification regarding Flood 

Hazard Precautions. 

(ix) An environmental report/

questionnaire, in accordance with 7 CFR 

1794. 

(x) A certification that grant funds 

will not be used to duplicate lines, 

facilities, or systems providing 

Broadband Service. 

(xi) Federal Obligation Certification 

on Delinquent Debt. 

C. How many copies of an application 

are required? 

1. Applications submitted on paper: 

Submit the original paper application 

and a copy in electronic format to RUS. 

2. Applications submitted through 

Grants.gov: The additional paper copies 

are not necessary if you submit the 

application electronically through 

Grants.gov. 

D. How and Where To Submit an 

Application 

Grant applications may be submitted 

on paper or through Grants.gov. 

1. Submitting applications on paper. 

a. Address paper applications for 

grants to the Rural Utilities Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Room 2808, 

STOP 1597, Washington, DC 20250– 

1597. Applications should be marked 

‘‘Attention: Deputy Assistant 

Administrator, Loan Origination and 

Approval Division, Rural Utilities 

Service.’’ 

b. Paper applications must show proof 

of mailing or shipping consisting of one 

of the following: 

(i) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service 

(USPS) postmark; 

(ii) A legible mail receipt with the 

date of mailing stamped by the USPS; or 

(iii) A dated shipping label, invoice, 

or receipt from a commercial carrier. 

c. Due to screening procedures at the 

Department of Agriculture, packages 

arriving via the USPS are irradiated, 

which can damage the contents. RUS 

encourages applicants to consider the 

impact of this procedure in selecting 

their application delivery method. 

2. Applications submitted through 

Grants.gov. 

(a) Applicants may file an electronic 

application at http://www.grants.gov. 

Applications will not be accepted via 

facsimile machine transmission or 

electronic mail. Grants.gov contains full 

instructions on all required passwords, 

credentialing, and software. Follow the 

instructions at Grants.gov for registering 

and submitting an electronic 

application. If a system problem or 

technical difficulty occurs with an 

electronic application, please use the 

customer support resources available at 

the Grants.gov Web site. 

(b) First time Grants.gov users should 

go to the ‘‘Get Started’’ tab on the 

Grants.gov site and carefully read and 

follow the steps listed. These steps need 

to be initiated early in the application 

process to avoid delays in submitting 

your application online. 

E. Deadlines 

1. Paper applications must be 

postmarked and mailed, shipped, or 

sent overnight no later than February 

17, 2015 to be eligible for FY 2015 grant 

funding. Late applications are not 

eligible for FY 2015 grant funding. 

2. Grant applications submitted 

through Grants.gov must be received by 

February 17, 2015 to be eligible for FY 

2015 funding. Late applications are not 

eligible for FY 2015 grant funding. 

F. Funding Purposes 

1. Eligible grant purposes. Grant funds 

may be used to finance: 

a. The construction, acquisition, or 

leasing of facilities, including spectrum, 

land or buildings to deploy service at 

the Broadband Grant Speed to all 

participating Critical Community 

Facilities and all required facilities 

needed to offer such service to all 

residential and business customers 

located within the Proposed Funded 

Service Area; 

b. The improvement, expansion, 

construction, or acquisition of a 

Community Center that furnishes free 

internet access at the Broadband Grant 

Speed and provision of Computer 

Access Points. Grant funds provided for 

such costs shall not exceed the lesser of 

ten percent (10%) of the grant amount 

requested or $150,000; and 

c. The cost of bandwidth to provide 

service free of charge at the Broadband 

Grant Speed to Critical Community 

Facilities for the first 2 years of 

operation. 

2. Ineligible grant purposes. 

a. Grant funds may not be used to 

finance the duplication of any existing 

Broadband Service provided by another 

entity. 

b. Operating expenses other than the 

cost of bandwidth for 2 years to provide 

service at the Broadband Grant Speed to 

Critical Community Facilities. 

3. Please see 7 CFR 1739.3 for 

definitions, 7 CFR 1739.12 for eligible 

grant purposes, and 7 CFR 1739.13 for 

ineligible grant purposes. 

V. Application Review Information 

A. Criteria 

1. Grant applications are scored 

competitively and subject to the criteria 

listed below. 

2. Grant application scoring criteria 

(total possible points: 100). See 7 CFR 

1739.17 for the items that will be 

reviewed during scoring and for scoring 

criteria. 

a. An analysis of the challenges of the 

following criteria, laid out on a 

community-wide basis, and how the 

project proposes to address these issues 

(up to 50 points): 1. The economic 

characteristics; 2. Educational 

Challenges; 3. Health care needs; 4. 

Public safety issues; and 5. Small Area 

Income and Poverty Estimates 

(applications that according to the 2010 

census show that at least 20 percent of 

the population of the counties included 

in core coverage areas is living in 

poverty) will receive the maximum 

score in this category. This emphasis 

will support Rural Development’s 

mission of improving the quality of life 

for Rural Americans and commitment to 

directing resources to those who most 

need them. 

b. The extent of the Project’s 

planning, development, and support by 

local residents, institutions, and Critical 

Community Facilities (up to 40 points); 

c. The level of experience and past 

success of operating broadband systems 

for the management team (up to 10 

points); and 

d. In making a final selection among 

and between applications with 

comparable rankings and geographic 

distribution, the Administrator may take 

into consideration the characteristics of 

the Proposed Funded Service Area 

(PFSA). 

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B. Special consideration areas 

RUS will offer special consideration 

to applications that propose to provide 

broadband service within a trust area or 

a tribal jurisdictional area. Such 

applications will be awarded 15 points. 

The applicant will need to submit 

evidence indicating that the proposed 

service area is located in a trust area or 

a tribal jurisdictional area. 

RUS will use one or more of the 

following resources in determining 

whether a proposed service area is 

located in a trust area or tribal 

jurisdictional area: 

(a) Official maps of Federal Indian 

Reservations based on information 

compiled by the U.S. Department of the 

Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and 

made available to the public; 

(b) Title Status Reports issued by the 

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau 

of Indian Affairs, showing that title to 

such land is held in trust or is subject 

to restrictions imposed by the United 

States; 

(c) Trust Asset and Accounting 

Management System data, maintained 

by the Department of the Interior, 

Bureau of Indian Affairs; 

(d) Official maps of the Department of 

Hawaiian Homelands of the State of 

Hawaii identifying land that has been 

given the status of Hawaiian home lands 

under the provisions of section 204 of 

the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 

1920; 

(e) Official records of the U.S. 

Department of the Interior, the State of 

Alaska, or such other documentation of 

ownership as the RUS may determine to 

be satisfactory, showing that title is 

owned by a Regional Corporation or a 

Village Corporation as such terms are 

defined in the Alaska Native Claims 

Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.); 

and 

(f) Any other evidence submitted by 

the applicant that is satisfactory to RUS 

to establish that area where the end-user 

site is located is a trust area or a tribal 

jurisdictional area within the meaning 

of 38 U.S.C. 3765(1). 

C. Review Standards 

1. All applications for grants must be 

delivered to RUS at the address and by 

the date specified in this notice or 

electronically submitted by the deadline 

(see also 7 CFR 1739.2) to be eligible for 

funding. The Agency will review each 

application for conformance with the 

provisions of this part. RUS may contact 

the applicant for additional information 

or clarification. 

2. Incomplete applications as of the 

deadline for submission will not be 

considered. If an application is 

determined to be incomplete, the 

applicant will be notified in writing and 

the application will be returned with no 

further action. 

3. Applications conforming with this 

part will then be evaluated 

competitively by a panel of Rural 

Utilities Service employees selected by 

the Administrator of Rural Utilities 

Service, and will be awarded points as 

described in the scoring criteria in 7 

CFR 1739.17. Applications will be 

ranked and grants awarded in rank 

order until all grant funds are expended. 

D. Selection Process 

Grant applications are ranked by final 

score. The Rural Utilities Service selects 

applications based on those rankings, 

subject to the availability of funds and 

consistent with 7 CFR 1739.17. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

A. Award Notices 

The Rural Utilities Service recognizes 

that each funded project is unique, and 

therefore may attach conditions to 

different projects’ award documents. 

RUS generally notifies applicants whose 

projects are selected for awards by 

emailing a scanned copy of an award 

letter. RUS follows the award letter with 

a grant agreement that contains all the 

terms and conditions for the grant. An 

applicant must execute and return the 

grant agreement, accompanied by any 

additional items required by the grant 

agreement. 

B. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

The items listed in paragraph IV.B.2.l. 

of this notice, and the Community 

Connect Grant Program regulation, 

application guide and accompanying 

materials implement the appropriate 

administrative and national policy 

requirements. 

C. Reporting 

1. Performance reporting. All 

recipients of Community Connect Grant 

Program financial assistance must 

provide annual performance activity 

reports to RUS until the project is 

complete and the funds are expended. A 

final performance report is also 

required; the final report may serve as 

the last annual report. The final report 

must include an evaluation of the 

success of the project. See 7 CFR 

1739.19. 

2. Financial reporting. All recipients 

of Community Connect Grant Program 

financial assistance must provide an 

annual audit, beginning with the first 

year a portion of the financial assistance 

is expended. Audits are governed by 

United States Department of Agriculture 

audit regulations. See 7 CFR 1739.20. 

3. Recipient and Subrecipient 

Reporting. The applicant must have the 

necessary processes and systems in 

place to comply with the reporting 

requirements for first-tier sub-awards 

and executive compensation under the 

Federal Funding Accountability and 

Transparency Act of 2006 in the event 

the applicant receives funding unless 

such applicant is exempt from such 

reporting requirements pursuant to 2 

CFR 170.110(b). The reporting 

requirements under the Transparency 

Act pursuant to 2 CFR part 170 are as 

follows: 

a. First Tier Sub-Awards of $25,000 or 

more (unless they are exempt under 2 

CFR part 170) must be reported by the 

Recipient to http://www.fsrs.gov no later 

than the end of the month following the 

month the obligation was made. 

b. The Total Compensation of the 

Recipient’s Executives (5 most highly 

compensated executives) must be 

reported by the Recipient (if the 

Recipient meets the criteria under 2 CFR 

part 170) to http://www.sam.gov by the 

end of the month following the month 

in which the award was made. 

c. The Total Compensation of the 

Subrecipient’s Executives (5 most 

highly compensated executives) must be 

reported by the Subrecipient (if the 

Subrecipient meets the criteria under 2 

CFR part 170) to the Recipient by the 

end of the month following the month 

in which the subaward was made. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

A. Web site: http://www.rurdev.usda.

gov/utp_commconnect.html. This Web 

site maintains up-to-date resources and 

contact information for the Community 

Connect Grant Program. 

B. Phone: (202) 720–0800 

C. Fax: (202) 205–2921 

D. Main point of contact: Shawn 

Arner, Deputy Assistant Administrator, 

Loan Origination and Approval 

Division, Rural Utilities Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture. 

Dated: December 11, 2014. 

Jasper Schneider, 

Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–29600 Filed 12–16–14; 8:45 am] 

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