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

36448 

Vol. 74, No. 140 

Thursday, July 23, 2009 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Housing Service 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service 

Rural Utilities Service 

Notice of Funds Availability Under the 

American Recovery and Reinvestment 

Act, 2009 

AGENCIES: Rural Housing Service, Rural 

Business-Cooperative Service, and Rural 

Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service 

(RHS), Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service (RBS), and Rural Utilities 

Service (RUS) are administered through 

USDA Rural Development (RD). This 

Notice announces the availability of 

stimulus assistance provided pursuant 

to Title 1 of Division A of the American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act, 2009, 

(Pub. L. 111–5) (February 17, 2009). 

DATES: Unless otherwise specified in 

this notice, applications will be 

accepted on a rolling basis until funds 

are expended. Program funding expires 

September 30, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: Entities wishing to apply for 

assistance, or that are in need of further 

information, should contact the USDA 

Rural Development State Office in the 

state where the project is located. A list 

of the USDA Rural Development State 

Offices addresses and telephone 

numbers are as follows: 

Note: Telephone numbers are not toll-free. 

Alabama 

Sterling Centre, Suite 601, 4121 

Carmichael Road, Montgomery, AL 

36106–3683, (334) 279–3400/TDD 

(334) 279–3495. 

Alaska 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

800 West Evergreen, Suite 201, 

Palmer, AK 99645–6539, (907) 761– 

7705/TDD (907) 761–8905. 

Arizona 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

230 N. 1st Ave., Suite 206, Phoenix, 

AZ 85003, (602) 280–8701/TDD (602) 

280–8705. 

Arkansas 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

700 West Capitol Avenue, Room 3416, 

Little Rock, AR 72201–3225, (501) 

301–3200/TDD (501) 301–3279. 

California 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

430 G Street, # 4169, Davis, CA 

95616–4169, (530) 792–5800/TDD 

(530) 792–5848. 

Colorado 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

655 Parfet Street, Room E–100, 

Lakewood, CO 80215, (720) 544– 

2903/TDD (720) 544–2976. 

Connecticut 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

451 West Street, Suite 2, Amherst, 

MA 01002–2999, (413) 253–4300/TDD 

(413) 253–4590. 

Delaware 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

1221 College Park Drive, Suite 200, 

Dover, DE 19904, (302) 857–3580/ 

TDD (302) 857–3585. 

Florida 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

4440 NW 25th Place, P.O. Box 

147010, Gainesville, FL 32614–7010, 

(352) 338–3400/TDD (352) 338–3499. 

Georgia 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

Stephens Federal Building, 355 E. 

Hancock Avenue, Athens, GA 30601– 

2768, (706) 546–2162/TDD (706) 546– 

2034. 

Hawaii 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

Federal Building, Room 311, 154 

Waianuenue Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720, 

(808) 933–8380/TDD (808) 933–8321. 

Idaho 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

9173 West Barnes Dr., Suite A1, 

Boise, ID 83709, (208) 378–5600/TDD 

(208) 378–5644. 

Illinois 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

2118 West Park Court, Suite A, 

Champaign, IL 61821, (217) 403– 

6200/TDD (217) 403–6240. 

Indiana 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

5975 Lakeside Boulevard, 

Indianapolis, IN 46278, (317) 290– 

3100/TDD (317) 290–3343. 

Iowa 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

Federal Building, Room 873, 210 

Walnut Street, Des Moines, IA 50309, 

(515) 284–4663/TDD (515) 284–4858. 

Kansas 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

1303 S.W. First American Place, Suite 

100, Topeka, KS 66604–4040, (785) 

271–2700/TDD (785) 271–2767. 

Kentucky 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

771 Corporate Drive, Suite 200, 

Lexington, KY 40503, (859) 224–7300/ 

TDD (859) 224–7422. 

Louisiana 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

3727 Government Street, Alexandria, 

LA 71302, (318) 473–7921/TDD (318) 

473–7655. 

Maine 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

967 Illinois Avenue, Suite 4, P.O. Box 

405, Bangor, ME 04402–0405, (207) 

990–9160/TDD (207) 942–7331. 

Maryland 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

1221 College Park Drive, Suite 200, 

Dover, DE 19904, (302) 857–3580/ 

TDD (302) 857–3585. 

Massachusetts 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

451 West Street, Suite 2, Amherst, 

MA 01002–2999, (413) 253–4300/TDD 

(413) 253–4590. 

Michigan 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

3001 Coolidge Road, Suite 200, East 

Lansing, MI 48823, (517) 324–5190/ 

TDD (517) 324–5169. 

Minnesota 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

375 Jackson Street, Suite 410, St. Paul, 


erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 140 / Thursday, July 23, 2009 / Notices 36449 

MN 55101–1853, (651) 602–7800/TDD 

(651) 602–3799. 

Mississippi 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

Federal Building, Suite 831, 100 W. 

Capitol Street, Jackson, MS 39269, 

(601) 965–4316/TDD (601) 965–5850. 

Missouri 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

601 Business Loop 70 West, Parkade 

Center, Suite 235, Columbia, MO 

65203, (573) 876–0976/TDD (573) 

876–9480. 

Montana 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

900 Technology Boulevard, Suite B, 

P.O. Box 850, Bozeman, MT 59771, 

(406) 585–2580/TDD (406) 585–2562. 

Nebraska 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

Federal Building, Room 152, 100 

Centennial Mall North, Lincoln, NE 

68508, (402) 437–5551/TDD (402) 

437–5093. 

Nevada 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

1390 South Curry Street, Carson City, 

NV 89703–5146, (775) 887–1222/TDD 

(775) 885–0633. 

New Hampshire 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

City Center, 3rd Floor, 89 Main Street, 

Montpelier, VT 05602, (802) 828– 

6000/TDD (802) 223–6365. 

New Jersey 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

8000 Midlantic Drive, 5th Floor 

North, Suite 500, Mt. Laurel, NJ 

08054, (856) 787–7700/TDD (856) 

787–7784. 

New Mexico 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

6200 Jefferson Street, NE., Room 255, 

Albuquerque, NM 87109, (505) 761– 

4950/TDD (505) 761–4938. 

New York 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

The Galleries of Syracuse, 441 South 

Salina Street, Suite 357, Syracuse, NY 

13202–2541, (315) 477–6400/TDD 

(315) 477–6447. 

North Carolina 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

4405 Bland Road, Suite 260, Raleigh, 

NC 27609, (919) 873–2000/TDD (919) 

873–2003. 

North Dakota 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

Federal Building, Room 208, 220 East 

Rosser, P.O. Box 1737, Bismarck, ND 

58502–1737, (701) 530–2037/TDD 

(701) 530–2113. 

Ohio 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

Federal Building, Room 507, 200 

North High Street, Columbus, OH 

43215–2418, (614) 255–2400/TDD 

(614) 255–2554. 

Oklahoma 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

100 USDA, Suite 108, Stillwater, OK 

74074–2654, (405) 742–1000/TDD 

(405) 742–1007. 

Oregon 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

1201 NE. Lloyd Blvd., Suite 801, 

Portland, OR 97232, (503) 414–3300/ 

TDD (503) 414–3387. 

Pennsylvania 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

One Credit Union Place, Suite 330, 

Harrisburg, PA 17110–2996, (717) 

237–2299/TDD (717) 237–2261. 

Puerto Rico 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

IBM Building, Suite 601, 654 Munos 

Rivera Avenue, San Juan, PR 00918– 

6106, (787) 766–5095/TDD (787) 766– 

5332. 

Rhode Island 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

451 West Street, Suite 2, Amherst, 

MA 01002–2999, (413) 253–4300/TDD 

(413) 253–4590. 

South Carolina 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

Strom Thurmond Federal Building, 

1835 Assembly Street, Room 1007, 

Columbia, SC 29201, (803) 765–5163/ 

TDD (803) 765–5697. 

South Dakota 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

Federal Building, Room 210, 200 

Fourth Street, SW., Huron, SD 57350, 

(605) 352–1100/TDD (605) 352–1147. 

Tennessee 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

3322 West End Avenue, Suite 300, 

Nashville, TN 37203–1084, (615) 783– 

1300. 

Texas 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

Federal Building, Suite 102, 101 

South Main, Temple, TX 76501, (254) 

742–9700/TDD (254) 742–9712. 

Utah 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building, 

125 South State Street, Room 4311, 

Salt Lake City, UT 84138, (801) 524– 

4320/TDD (801) 524–3309. 

Vermont 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

City Center, 3rd Floor, 89 Main Street, 

Montpelier, VT 05602, (802) 828– 

6000/TDD (802) 223–6365. 

Virginia 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

1606 Santa Rosa Road, Suite 238, 

Richmond, VA 23229–5014, (804) 

287–1550/TDD (804) 287–1753. 

Virgin Islands 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

4440 NW. 25th Place, P.O. Box 

147010, Gainesville, FL 32614–7010, 

(352) 338–3400/TDD (352) 338–3499. 

Washington 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

1835 Black Lake Boulevard SW., Suite 

B, Olympia, WA 98512–5715, (360) 

704–7740/TDD (360) 704–7760. 

West Virginia 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

75 High Street, Room 320, 

Morgantown, WV 26505–7500, (304) 

284–4860/TDD (304) 284–4836. 

Wisconsin 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

4949 Kirschling Court, Stevens Point, 

WI 54481, (715) 345–7600/TDD (715) 

345–7614. 

Wyoming 

USDA Rural Development State Office, 

100 East B, Federal Building, Room 

1005, P.O. Box 11005, Casper, WY 

82602–5006, (307) 233–6700/TDD 

(307) 233–6733. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information and application assistance 

contact the appropriate Rural 

Development State Office listed in the 

ADDRESSES section of this Notice. 

For information regarding Housing 

and Community Facilities Programs: 

Community Facilities, Anita Outen, 

Loan Specialist, at 202–720–1497, or 

Susan Woolard, Loan Specialist, at 202– 

720–1506; and Single Family Program, 

Myron Wooden, Loan Specialist, at 202– 

720–4780. 

For further information regarding 

Business Programs, contact: Fred 

Kieferle, Business and Industry (B&I) 

Guaranteed Loan Program, at 202–720– 

7818, e-mail: 

fred.kieferle@wdc.usda.gov, Cindy 

Mason, Rural Business Enterprise Grant 

(RBEG), at 202–690–1433, e-mail: 

cindy.mason@wdc.usda.gov. 

For information regarding Water and 

Environmental Programs’ Direct Loan, 


erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
36450 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 140 / Thursday, July 23, 2009 / Notices 

Guaranteed Loan, and Grant programs, 

contact: Gayle Auman, Loan Specialist, 

at 334–279–3620, e-mail: gayle.auman@

wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background: The Rural Development 

Mission Area agencies (RHS, RUS, and 

RBS of the United States Department of 

Agriculture) provide a wide variety of 

grant, loan, and loan guarantee 

assistance to rural residents, rural 

communities, and rural utility systems. 

The eligibility criteria for each of the 

programs differ widely. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, USDA Rural 

Development has submitted a new 

information collection to OMB for 

emergency review and approval of the 

reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements contained in this Notice. 

The programs being impacted already 

have information collection packages in 

place. Therefore, the burden in this new 

package is solely based on the 

additional burden hours being generated 

by the American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act of 2009. The 

breakdown is as follows: 

(OMB No. 0572–0121) 7 CFR Part 

1780, Water and Waste Loan and Grant 

Program 

Estimate Burden Increase: 78,111 

hours. 

(OMB No. 0570–0022) 7 CFR Part 

1942–G, Rural Business Enterprise 

Grants and Television Demonstration 

Grants. 

Estimated Burden Increase: 19,189 

hours. 

(OMB No. 0575–0173) 7 CFR 3570–B, 

Community Facilities Grant Program. 

Estimated Burden Increase: 3,102 

hours. 

(OMB No. 0575–0015) 7 CFR 1942–A, 

Community Facility Loans. 

Estimated Burden Increase: 70,560 

hours. 

(OMB No. 0575–0120) 7 CFR Part 

1942–C, ‘‘Fire and Rescue Loans’’. 

Estimated Burden Increase: 7,512 

hours. 

(OMB No. 0575–0172) Direct Single 

Family Housing Loan and Grant 

Programs, 7 CFR Part 3550–HB–1–3550, 

and HB–2–3550. 

Estimated Burden Increase: 39,198 

hours. 

(OMB No. 0575–0078) 7 CFR Part 

1980–D, Rural Housing Loans. 

Estimated Burden Increase: 106,878 

hours. 

Reporting and Registration 

Requirement under Section 1512 of the 

American Recovery and Reinvestment 

Act of 2009, Public Law 111–5: 

(a) This award requires the recipient 

to complete projects or activities which 

are funded under the American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 

(‘‘Recovery Act’’) and to report on use 

of Recovery Act funds provided through 

this award. Information from these 

reports will be made available to the 

public. 

(b) The first report is due no later than 

ten calendar days after the initial 

calendar quarter in which the recipient 

receives the assistance award funded in 

whole or in part by the Recovery Act, 

or by October 10, 2009. Thereafter, 

reports shall be submitted no later than 

the 10th day after the end of each 

calendar quarter. 

(c) Recipients and their first-tier 

recipients must maintain current 

registrations in the Central Contractor 

Registration (http://www.ccr.gov) at all 

times during which they have active 

federal awards funded with Recovery 

Act funds. A Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) Number is one of the 

requirements for registration in the 

Central Contractor Registration. 

(d) The recipient shall report the 

information described in section 1512(c) 

using the reporting instructions and 

data elements that will be provided 

online at http:// 

www.FederalReporting.gov, unless the 

information is pre-populated. 

I. American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act), 2009 

A. Affected Programs 

The following programs are subject to 

the provisions of Executive Order 12372 

which requires intergovernmental 

consultation with State and local 

officials, pursuant to 7 CFR 3015.302. 

These programs or activities are listed in 

the Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CDFA) under numbers: 

10.780 Community Facilities Loans and 

Grants 

10.788 Single Family Housing Direct Loans 

10.789 Single Family Housing Guaranteed 

Loans 

10.782 Business and Industry Guaranteed 

Loans 

10.783 Rural Business Enterprise Grants 

10.781 Water and Waste Loans and Grants 

10.886 Broadband Loans and Grants 

B. Definitions 

‘‘Agency’’—The Rural Housing 

Service, Rural Utilities Service and 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service or 

the successors for the programs it 

administers. 

‘‘Persistent poverty counties’’—Any 

county that has had twenty percent or 

more of its population living in poverty 

for the past thirty years, as measured by 

the 1980, 1990, 2000 decennial census 

information. 

‘‘Recipient’’—Any entity that receives 

Recovery Funds directly from the 

Federal Government (including 

Recovery Funds received through loan, 

grant, or contract) other than an 

individual and includes a State that 

receives Recovery Funds. 

‘‘Recovery Act’’—Refers to Title 1 of 

Division A of the American Recovery 

and Reinvestment Act, 2009, (Pub. L. 

111–5) (February 17, 2009). 

‘‘Recovery Funds’’—Any funds that 

are available from appropriations made 

under the Recovery Act. 

C. General Provisions 

1. Preference for Quick-Start Activities 

In using the funds made available in 

the Recovery Act for infrastructure 

investment, the Agencies shall give 

preference to activities that can be 

started and completed expeditiously, 

including a goal of using at least 50 

percent of the funds for activities that 

can be initiated not later than 120 days 

after the date of enactment of the 

Recovery Act. Recipients shall also use 

grant funds in a manner that maximizes 

job creation and economic benefit. 

Agencies may use these funds for a 

backlog of applications on hand as well 

as new applications. For Water and 

Environment and Community Facilities 

programs, those new applications that 

are submitted in a timely manner 

complete with Preliminary Engineering 

Review (PER), Environmental Report 

(ER), and current financial data will be 

accelerated in the process. 

2. Period of Availability 

All funds appropriated in the 

Recovery Act are available for obligation 

no later than September 30, 2010. 

Funding provided through the Recovery 

Act is one-time funding. 

3. Buy American 

None of the funds made available by 

the Recovery Act may be used for a 

project for the construction, alteration, 

maintenance, or repair of a public 

building or public work unless all of the 

iron, steel and manufactured goods used 

in the project are produced in the 

United States unless USDA Rural 

Development waives the application of 

this provision. Since only Community 

Facilities (CF) and Water and 

Environmental Programs (WEP) are 

involved in the construction, alteration, 

maintenance, or repair of public 

building and public works, the Buy 

American provisions are only applicable 

to CF and WEP. (Recovery Act Sec. 

1605) 


erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 140 / Thursday, July 23, 2009 / Notices 36451 

If the applicant’s requested use of 

Recovery Act funds involves the 

construction, alteration, maintenance, or 

repair of a public building or public 

work, and does not involve iron, steel, 

and or manufactured goods covered 

under international agreements, the 

following is applicable: 

Notice of Required Use of American 

Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods— 

Section 1605 of the American Recovery 

and Reinvestment Act, 2009 

(a) Definitions. Manufactured good, 

public building and public work, and 

steel, as used in this notice, are defined 

in 2 CFR 176.140. 

(b) Requests for determinations of 

inapplicability. A prospective applicant 

requesting a determination regarding the 

inapplicability of Section 1605 of the 

American Recovery and Reinvestment 

Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111–5) (Recovery 

Act) should submit the request to the 

award official in time to allow a 

determination before submission of 

applications or proposals. The 

prospective applicant shall include the 

information and applicable supporting 

data required by 2 CFR 176.140(c) and 

(d) in the request. If an applicant has not 

requested a determination regarding the 

inapplicability of Section 1605 of the 

Recovery Act before submitting its 

application or proposal, or has not 

received a response to a previous 

request, the applicant shall include the 

information and supporting data in the 

application or proposal. 

(c) Evaluation of project proposals. If 

the Federal government determines that 

an exception based on unreasonable 

cost of domestic iron, steel, and/or 

manufactured goods applies, the Federal 

Government will evaluate a project 

requesting exception to the 

requirements of Section 1605 of the 

Recovery Act by adding to the estimated 

total cost of the project 25 percent of the 

project cost, if foreign iron, steel, or 

manufactured goods are used in the 

project based on unreasonable cost of 

comparable manufactured domestic 

iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods. 

(d) Alternate project proposals. 

(1) When a project proposal includes 

foreign iron, steel, and/or manufactured 

goods not listed by the Federal 

Government at 2 CFR 176.140(b)(2), the 

applicant also may submit an alternate 

proposal based on use of equivalent 

domestic iron, steel, and/or 

manufactured goods. 

(2) If an alternate proposal is 

submitted, the applicant shall submit a 

separate cost comparison table prepared 

in accordance with 2 CFR 176.140(c) 

and (d) for the proposal that is based on 

the use of any foreign iron, steel, and/ 

or manufactured goods for which the 

Federal Government has not yet 

determined an exception applies. 

(3) If the Federal Government 

determines that a particular exception 

requested in accordance with 2 CFR 

176.140(b) does not apply, the Federal 

Government will evaluate only those 

proposals based on use of the equivalent 

domestic iron, steel, and/or 

manufactured goods, and the applicant 

shall be required to furnish such 

domestic items. 

If the applicant’s requested use of 

Recovery Act funds involves the 

construction, alteration, maintenance, or 

repair of a public building or public 

work, and involves iron, steel, and/or 

manufactured goods covered under 

international agreements, the following 

is applicable: 

Notice of Required Use of American 

Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods 

(Covered Under International 

Agreements)—Section 1605 of the 

American Recovery and Reinvestment 

Act, 2009 

(a) Definitions. Designated country 

iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods, 

foreign iron, steel, and/or manufactured 

good, manufactured good, public 

building and public work, and steel, as 

used in this provision, are defined in 2 

CFR 176.160(a). 

(b) Requests for determinations of 

inapplicability. A prospective applicant 

requesting a determination regarding the 

inapplicability of Section 1605 of the 

American Recovery and Reinvestment 

Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111–5) (Recovery 

Act) should submit the request to the 

award official in time to allow a 

determination before submission of 

applications or proposals. The 

prospective applicant shall include the 

information and applicable supporting 

data required by 2 CFR 176.160(c) and 

(d) in the request. If an applicant has not 

requested a determination regarding the 

inapplicability of 1605 of the Recovery 

Act before submitting its application or 

proposal, or has not received a response 

to a previous request, the applicant shall 

include the information and supporting 

data in the application or proposal. 

(c) Evaluation of project proposals. If 

the Federal Government determines that 

an exception based on unreasonable 

cost of domestic iron, steel, and/or 

manufactured goods applies, the Federal 

Government will evaluate a project 

requesting exception to the 

requirements of section 1605 of the 

Recovery Act by adding to the estimated 

total cost of the project 25 percent of the 

project cost if foreign iron, steel, or 

manufactured goods are used based on 

unreasonable cost of comparable 

domestic iron, steel, or manufactured 

goods. 

(d) Alternate project proposals. 

(1) When a project proposal includes 

foreign iron, steel, and/or manufactured 

goods, other than designated country 

iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods, 

that are not listed by the Federal 

Government in this Buy American 

notice in the request for applications or 

proposals, the applicant may submit an 

alternate proposal based on use of 

equivalent domestic or designated 

country iron, steel, and/or manufactured 

goods. 

(2) If an alternate proposal is 

submitted, the applicant shall submit a 

separate cost comparison table prepared 

in accordance with 2 CFR 176.160(c) 

and (d) for the proposal that is based on 

the use of any foreign iron, steel, and/ 

or manufactured goods for which the 

Federal Government has not yet 

determined an exception applies. 

(3) If the Federal Government 

determines that a particular exception 

requested in accordance with 2 CFR 

176.160(b) does not apply, the Federal 

Government will evaluate only those 

proposals based on use of the equivalent 

domestic or designated country iron, 

steel, and/or manufactured goods and 

the applicant shall be required to 

furnish such domestic or designated 

country items. 

4. Wage-Rate Requirements 

All laborers and mechanics employed 

by contractors and subcontractors on 

projects funded directly by or assisted 

in whole or in part by and through the 

Federal Government pursuant to the 

Recovery Act shall be paid wages at 

rates not less than those prevailing on 

projects of a character similar in the 

locality as determined by the Secretary 

of Labor in accordance with subchapter 

IV of chapter 31 of 40 U.S.C. In this 

regard, the award will contain the 

following provision: 

Wage Rate Requirements Under Section 

1606 of the American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act, 2009 

(a) Section 1606 of the Recovery Act 

requires that all laborers and mechanics 

employed by contractors and 

subcontractors on projects funded 

directly by or assisted in whole or in 

part by and through the Federal 

Government pursuant to the Recovery 

Act shall be paid wages at rates not less 

than those prevailing on projects of a 

character similar in the locality as 

determined by the Secretary of Labor in 

accordance with subchapter IV of 

chapter 31 of 40 U.S.C. 

Pursuant to Reorganization Plan No. 

14 and the Copeland Act, 40 U.S.C. 


erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
36452 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 140 / Thursday, July 23, 2009 / Notices 

3145, the Department of Labor has 

issued regulations at 29 CFR Parts 1, 3, 

and 5 to implement the Davis-Bacon 

and related Acts. Regulations in 29 CFR 

5.5 instruct agencies concerning 

application of the standard Davis-Bacon 

contract clauses set forth in that section. 

Federal agencies providing grants, 

cooperative agreements, and loans 

under the Recovery Act shall ensure 

that the standard Davis-Bacon contract 

clauses found in 29 CFR 5.5(a) are 

incorporated in any resultant covered 

contracts that are in excess of $2,000 for 

construction, alteration and/or repair 

(including painting and decorating). 

(b) For additional guidance on the 

wage rate requirements of section 1606, 

contact your awarding agency. 

Recipients of grants, cooperative 

agreements and loans should direct 

their initial inquiries concerning the 

application of Davis-Bacon 

requirements to a particular federally 

assisted project to the Federal agency 

funding the project. The Secretary of 

Labor retains final coverage authority 

under Reorganization Plan No. 14. 

5. National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 

Implementation of the Recovery Act 

will utilize existing environmental 

review compliance requirements in 

accordance with its statutory and 

regulatory obligations. The Agency’s 

respective environmental policies and 

procedures are codified in 7 CFR Part 

1940, Subpart G and 7 CFR Part 1794 as 

applicable. All relevant environmental 

compliance requirements are integrated 

in the above regulations, including the 

National Environmental Policy Act, 

National Historic Preservation Act and 

Endangered Species Act compliance 

processes. 

All program applicants are required to 

integrate environmental factors, along 

with other technical and financial 

considerations, into early project 

planning and design. The 

environmental review process must be 

completed, including all public notice 

requirements prior to funding any 

proposals. 

6. Accountability and Transparency and 

Responsibility for Informing SubRecipients 

Recipients and their sub-recipients 

must maintain current registrations in 

the Central Contractor Registration 

(http://www.ccr.gov) at all times for 

which they have active Federal awards 

funded with Recovery Act funds. A Dun 

and Bradstreet Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) Number 

(http://www.dnb.com/us/) is one of the 

requirements for registration in the 

Central Contractor Registration. 

All awards will contain the following 

tracking and documenting requirements: 

Recovery Act Transactions Listed in 

Schedule of Expenditures of Federal 

Awards and Recipient Responsibilities 

for Informing Sub-Recipients 

(a) To maximize the transparency and 

accountability of funds authorized 

under the Recovery Act as required by 

Congress and in accordance with 2 CFR 

215, subpart 21 and OMB Circular A– 

102 Common Rules provisions, 

recipients agree to maintain records that 

identify adequately the source and 

application of Recovery Act funds. 

(b) For recipients covered by the 

Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 

and OMB Circular A–133, ‘‘Audits of 

States, Local Governments, and NonProfit Organizations,’’ recipients agree 

to separately identify the expenditures 

for Federal awards under the Recovery 

Act on the Schedule of Expenditures of 

Federal Awards (SEFA) and the Data 

Collection Form (SF–SAC) required by 

OMB Circular A–133. This shall be 

accomplished by identifying 

expenditures for Federal awards made 

the under Recovery Act separately on 

the SEFA, and as separate rows under 

Item 9 of Part III on the SF–SAC by 

CFDA number, and inclusion of the 

prefix ‘‘ARRA’’ in identifying the name 

of the Federal program on the SEFA and 

as the first characters in Item 9d of Part 

III on the SF–SAC. 

(c) Recipients agree to separately 

identify to each sub-recipient and 

document at the time of sub-award and 

at the time of disbursement of funds, the 

Federal award number, CFDA number, 

and amount of Recovery Act funds. 

When a recipient awards Recovery Act 

funds for an existing program, the 

information furnished to sub-recipients 

shall distinguish the sub-awards of 

incremental Recovery Act funds from 

regular sub-awards under the existing 

program. 

(d) Recipients agree to require their 

sub-recipients to include their SEFA 

information to specifically identify 

Recovery Act funding similar to the 

requirements for the recipient SEFA 

described above. This information is 

needed to allow the recipient to 

properly monitor sub-recipient 

expenditure of Recovery Act funds as 

well as oversight by the Federal 

awarding agencies, Offices of Inspector 

General and the Government 

Accountability Office. 

Pursuant to section 1511 of the 

Recovery Act: 

With respect to these funds made 

available to State or local governments 

for infrastructure investments, the 

Governor, mayor, or other chief 

executive, as appropriate, shall certify 

that the infrastructure investment has 

received the full review and vetting 

required by law and that the chief 

executive accepts responsibility that the 

infrastructure investment is an 

appropriate use of taxpayer dollars. 

Such certification shall include a 

description of the investment, the 

estimated total cost, and the amount of 

these funds to be used, and shall be 

posted on the Recovery.gov Web site at 

http://www.recovery.gov. A State or 

local agency may not receive 

infrastructure investment funding from 

funds made available in the Recovery 

Act unless this certification is made and 

posted. 

7. Reporting on Use of the Recovery 

Funds 

Recipients of Federal awards from 

funds authorized under the Recovery 

Act must comply with all reporting 

requirements outlined in Section 1512 

of the Recovery Act. For purposes of 

reporting, recipients of recovery funds 

from RD must report on sub-recipient 

activities as specified below. Not later 

than 10 days after the end of each 

calendar quarter, starting with the 

quarter ending June 30, 2009, and 

reporting by July 10, 2009, the recipient 

must submit a report to the appropriate 

Agency that will be posted to 

Recovery.gov. Each award will contain 

the following reporting requirement: 

Reporting and Registration 

Requirements Under Section 1512 of 

the American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act, 2009 

(a) This award requires the recipient 

to complete projects or activities which 

are funded under the Recovery Act and 

to report on use of Recovery Act funds 

provided through this award. 

Information from these reports will be 

made available to the public. 

(b) The reports are due no later than 

ten calendar days after each calendar 

quarter in which the recipient receives 

the assistance award funded in whole or 

in part by the Recovery Act. 

(c) Recipients and their sub-recipients 

must maintain current registrations in 

the Central Contractor Registration 

(http://www.ccr.gov) at all times during 

which they have active Federal awards 

funded with Recovery Act funds. A Dun 

and Bradstreet Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) Number 

(http://www.dnb.com/us/) is one of the 

requirements for registration in the 

Central Contractor Registration. 

(d) The recipient shall report the 

information described in Section 


erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 140 / Thursday, July 23, 2009 / Notices 36453 

1512(c) of the Recovery Act, the 

reporting instructions and data elements 

that will be provided online at http:// 

www.FederalReporting.gov, and ensure 

that any information that is pre-filled is 

corrected or updated as needed. 

8. Priority 

For Water and Environment, 

Community Facilities, and Rural 

Business programs, 10 percent of 

funding shall be allocated for assistance 

in persistent poverty counties. 

9. Whistleblower Protection 

Each recipient or sub-recipient 

awarded funds made available under 

the Recovery Act shall promptly refer to 

the USDA Office of Inspector General, 

any credible evidence that a principal, 

employee, agent, contractor, subrecipient, subcontractor, or other person 

has submitted a false claim under the 

False Claims Act or has committed a 

criminal or civil violation of laws 

pertaining to fraud, conflict of interest, 

bribery, gratuity, or similar misconduct 

involving those funds. 

Section 1553(a) of the Recovery Act 

provides protection for whistleblowers: 

Prohibition of Reprisals—An 

employee of any non-Federal employer 

receiving covered funds may not be 

discharged, demoted, or otherwise 

discriminated against as a reprisal for 

disclosing, including a disclosure made 

in the ordinary course of an employee’s 

duties, to the Board, an inspector 

general, the Comptroller General, a 

member of Congress, a State or Federal 

regulatory or law enforcement agency, a 

person with supervisory authority over 

the employee (or such other person 

working for the employer who has the 

authority to investigate, discover, or 

terminate misconduct), a court or grand 

jury, the head of a Federal agency, or 

their representatives, information that 

the employee reasonably believes is 

evidence of— 

(1) Gross mismanagement of an 

agency contract or grant relating to 

covered funds; 

(2) A gross waste of covered funds; 

(3) A substantial and specific danger 

to public health or safety related to the 

implementation or use of covered funds; 

(4) An abuse of authority related to 

the implementation or use of covered 

funds; or 

(5) A violation of law, rule, or 

regulation related to an agency contract 

(including the competition for or 

negotiation of a contract) or grant, 

awarded or issued relating to covered 

funds. 

10. Schedule of Expenditures of Federal 

Awards 

Recipients agree to separately identify 

the expenditures for each loan and grant 

award funded under the Recovery Act 

on the SEFA and the SF–SAC required 

by OMB Circular A–133. This 

identification on the SEFA and SF–SAC 

shall include the Federal award number, 

the CFDA number, and amount, such 

that separate accountability and 

disclosure is provided for Recovery Act 

funds by Federal award number 

consistent with the recipient reports 

required by Section 1512(c). 

11. Prohibitions 

None of the funds appropriated or 

otherwise made available under the 

Recovery Act may be used by any State 

or local government or any private 

entity for any casino or other gambling 

related establishment, aquarium, zoo, 

golf course or swimming pool. This 

prohibition extends to all facilities that 

maintain such establishments. In 

implementing this prohibition RD 

specifically will not finance projects, 

such as dwellings and hotels, with 

swimming pools. (Section 1604 of the 

Recovery Act.) 

12. Civil Rights 

Programs referenced in this notice are 

subject to applicable Civil Rights Laws. 

These laws include the Equal Credit 

Opportunity Act, Title VI of the Civil 

Rights Act of 1964, Title VIII of the Civil 

Rights Act of 1968, as amended in 1988, 

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 

1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 

1975. 

13. Application Procedure 

Unless otherwise specified in this 

Notice, the application procedure for 

assistance under this Notice is the same 

as the regular application procedure for 

the particular program for which 

financial assistance is requested. 

D. Funding Availability 

1. Community Facilities (CF) Programs 

General. The CF Direct Loan and 

Grant Programs are designed to finance 

and facilitate the development of 

essential community facilities servicing 

rural areas. These facilities include, but 

are not limited to, hospitals; medical 

clinics; elderly care facilities; police 

stations and vehicles; fire and rescue 

stations and vehicles; vocational and 

medical rehabilitation centers; and 

educational facilities. Funds under this 

Notice can be used to construct, enlarge 

or improve community facilities for 

health, public safety, and education. 

This may include the purchase of 

equipment or furnishings required for a 

facility’s operation. 

Recovery Act Authorization. Pursuant 

to the Recovery Act, funding is available 

as follows: 

CF Direct Loan Funds ..... $1,136,188,811 

Less National Office Reserve .............................. 568,094,811 

Allocation to States ......... 568,094,000 

CF Grant Funds ............... 61,110,000 

Less National Office Reserve .............................. 30,553,000 

Allocation to States ......... 30,557,000 

Applicable Statutory or Regulatory 

Authority. 

• Consolidated Farm and Rural 

Development Act, Section 306 (7 U.S.C. 

1926(a)(1) and (19)). 

• 7 CFR Part 1942, Subpart A, 

Community Facilities Direct Loan 

Program. 

• 7 CFR Part 1942, Subpart C, Fire 

and Rescue Loans. 

• 7 CFR Part 3570, Subpart B, 

Community Facilities Grant Program. 

Further Information. The essential 

community facility must primarily serve 

rural areas, be located in a rural area 

with a population of 20,000 or less, and 

the median household income of the 

population to be served by the proposed 

facility must be below the higher of the 

poverty line or 90 percent of the State 

non-metropolitan median household 

income. The amount of CF grant funds 

that a project is eligible for will be 

determined in accordance with 7 CFR 

Part 3570, Subpart B. CF grant funds 

will not exceed 75 percent of the total 

project cost. Additionally, if other 

Federal grant assistance is received, the 

aggregate of Federal grant assistance 

may not exceed 75 percent of the total 

project cost. Rural Development has 

determined that it will review and make 

awards under this NOFA as applications 

are received based on the existing 

criteria in 7 CFR, Part 3570, Subpart B, 

and 7 CFR, Part 1942, Subpart A. 

Applications will be reviewed, 

approved, and obligated in the States’ 

Rural Development offices. 

2. Single Family Housing (SFH) 

Programs 

General. USDA Rural Development 

will provide assistance through its SFH 

loan program in rural areas as 

authorized under the Recovery Act. The 

SFH loan programs are designed to 

assist very low, low-income, and 

moderate-income households to obtain 

modest, decent, safe, and sanitary 

housing for use as a permanent 

residence in rural areas. 

Recovery Act Authorization. Pursuant 

to the Recovery Act, funding is available 

as follows: 


erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
36454 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 140 / Thursday, July 23, 2009 / Notices 

(a) Section 502 Guaranteed SFH Loans 

Guarantees—Purchase ........................................................................................................................................................... $9,849,606,299 

Guarantees—Refinance ......................................................................................................................................................... 400,000,000 

(1) Purchase—Amount Available for 2009 Recovery Act Allocation 

Amount Available for Allocation ......................................................................................................................................... 9,849,606,299 

Less National Office General Reserve .................................................................................................................................. 2,849,606,299 

Allocation to the States ......................................................................................................................................................... 7,000,000,000 

(2) Refinance—Amount Available for 2009 Recovery Act Allocation 

Total Available ...................................................................................................................................................................... 400,000,000 

Less National Office General Reserve .................................................................................................................................. 400,000,000 

(b) Section 502 Direct SFH Loans 

Amount Available for Allocation ......................................................................................................................................... 967,113,095 

Less National Office General Reserve .................................................................................................................................. 290,143,000 

Allocation to the States ......................................................................................................................................................... 676,979,000 

Applicable Statutory or Regulatory 

Authority. 

• The Housing Act of 1949 as 

amended. 

• 7 CFR Part 1980, Subpart D 

(Guaranteed). 

• 7 CFR Part 3550 (Direct). 

Further Information. All SFH 

programs typically are administered 

through field offices. For more 

information or to request an application, 

please contact the Rural Development 

state office servicing your area listed in 

the ADDRESSES section of this notice. 

Section 502 Guaranteed SFH Refinance 

loan funds, however, will be distributed 

from the National Office. 

All Section 502 loans involving 

construction or repair costs greater than 

$2,000 funded with recovery funds will 

be subject to the provisions of the DavisBacon Act. The National Office will 

maintain a general reserve. These funds 

will be available to states that exhaust 

their Recovery Act allocations. 

3. Business & Industry (B&I) Guaranteed 

Loan Program 

USDA Rural Development will 

provide B&I guaranteed loan funds for 

eligible businesses as authorized under 

the Recovery Act. As program details 

are currently under consideration, a 

separate NOFA will be issued providing 

program specifics at a later date. 

4. Rural Business Enterprise Grant 

(RBEG) Program 

General. RBS’s primary objective is to 

improve the economic conditions of 

rural areas. RBEG funding will be used 

to support the development of small and 

emerging private business enterprises in 

rural areas. The USDA Rural 

Development will administer grant 

awards made under the RBEG program 

and 7 U.S.C. 1932(c) for fiscal years 

(FYs) 2009 and 2010. RBEG program 

regulations are in 7 CFR part 1942, 

subpart G. Expenses incurred in 

developing applications will be at the 

applicant’s risk. 

Recovery Act Authorization. Pursuant 

to the Recovery Act, funding is available 

as follows: 

Rural Business Enterprise Grants— 

$19,400,000. 

Approximate Number of Awards: 

Estimate 200; 

Average Award: $99,000; 

Anticipated Award Date: Ongoing 

until available funds are expended. 

Applicable Statutory or Regulatory 

Authority. 

• Consolidated Farm and Rural 

Development Act, Section 310B (7 

U.S.C. 1932). 

• 7 CFR Part 1942, subpart G. 

Dates. RBEG applications will be 

accepted in the State Offices on a rolling 

basis. States will be required to submit 

applications to the National Office by 

local close of business on the last 

business day of each month (June 29, 

July 31 and so forth) until funds are 

expended. 

Further Information. Applicants can 

obtain grant application information 

and submit applications for Rural 

Business Enterprise Grants through the 

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

Users of grants.gov alternatively may 

download a copy of the application 

package to complete offline. 

Applications in paper format should be 

submitted to the USDA Rural 

Development State Office where the 

project is located. All applicants must 

have a Dun and Bradstreet Data 

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) 

number which can be obtained at no 

cost via a toll-free request line at 1–866– 

705–5711 or at http://www.dnb.com/ 

us/. 

Eligible Projects will be scored, 

ranked, and submitted to the Secretary 

for final selection for Recovery Act 

funding. Unsuccessful projects 

submitted under the Recovery Act will 

be returned to the appropriate State 

Offices for possible funding under the 

Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009. 

Matching funds are not required. 

5. Water and Environmental Programs 

(WEP) 

This Notice is intended to announce 

the availability of additional assistance 

to be administered through the WEP as 

authorized under the Recovery Act, 

2009, as follows: 

WEP Direct Loans Funds $2,733,515,732 

WEP Grant Funds ............ 924,680,000 

Circuit Rider Technical 

Assistance ..................... 14,280,000 

USDA Rural Development’s WEP 

provides a wide variety of loan, grant, 

and loan guarantee assistance to rural 

residents, rural communities and rural 

utility systems. Funding shall be used 

for the cost of direct loans and grants for 

the rural water, waste water and waste 

disposal programs authorized by section 

306 and described in section 381E(d)(2) 

of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

Development Act. 

(a) Assistance Available through This 

Notice. 

The Act enables USDA Rural 

Development to make additional funds 

available for WEP with Direct Loans and 

Grants. Eligible applicants are public 

bodies, organizations operated on a notfor-profit basis, Indian tribes on Federal 

and State reservations and other 

Federally-recognized Indian tribes. 

These funds will be used to serve rural 

areas with a population not in excess of 

10,000. Eligible loan and grant purposes 

include, but are not limited to, 

constructing, enlarging, extending or 

otherwise improving rural water, 

sanitary sewage, solid waste disposal 

and storm wastewater disposal facilities. 

None of the borrower and project 

eligibility requirements as outlined in 7 

CFR part 1780, including availability of 

other credit, income or population are 

waived under this Notice. 

Further details on eligible applicants 

and projects may be found in the 

relevant regulations listed in applicable 

statutory or regulatory authority below. 

(b) National Environment Policy Act 

of 1969. 

The WEP implementation of the 

Recovery Act will utilize existing 


erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 140 / Thursday, July 23, 2009 / Notices 36455 

environmental review compliance 

requirements in accordance with its 

statutory and regulatory obligations. The 

agency’s environmental policies and 

procedures are codified in 7 CFR Part 

1794. All relevant environmental 

compliance requirements are integrated 

in the above regulation, including the 

National Environmental Policy Act, 

National Historic Preservation Act and 

Endangered Species Act compliance 

processes. 

All WEP applicants are required to 

integrate environmental factors, along 

with other technical and financial 

considerations into early project 

planning and design. The agency has 

guidance documents for applicants 

posted on the following webpage— 

http://www.usda.gov/rus/water/ees/ 

bulletin.htm. The environmental review 

process must be complete, including all 

public notice requirements prior to 

funding any proposals. 

(c) Applicable Statutory or Regulatory 

Authority. 

• Title 1 of Division A of the 

American Recovery and Reinvestment 

Act, 2009; 

• Consolidated Farm and Rural 

Development Act, Section 306(a)(1), (2) 

and (22) (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(1), (2) and 

(22)); 

• 7 CFR Part 1780, Water and Waste 

Loans and Grants; and 

• RD Instruction 1940–C, Davis Bacon 

and Related Acts (Available in any RD 

Office). 

6. Broadband Direct Loans and Grants 

Rural Development anticipates 

making Direct Broadband loans and 

grants available to eligible entities using 

Recovery Act funds. Further 

information regarding Broadband loans 

and grants will be provided separately 

in a subsequent NOFA or a series of 

NOFAs. 

Civil Rights: Programs referenced in 

this Notice are subject to applicable 

Civil Rights Laws. These laws include 

the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Title 

VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title 

VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, as 

amended in 1988, Section 504 of the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Age 

Discrimination Act of 1975. 

Non-Discrimination Statement: The 

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

prohibits discrimination in all its 

programs and activities on the basis of 

race, color, national origin, age, 

disability, and where applicable, sex, 

marital status, familial status, parental 

status, religion, sexual orientation, 

genetic information, political beliefs, 

reprisal, or because all or part of an 

individual’s income is derived from any 

public assistance program. (Not all 

prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means for communication of 

program information (Braille, large 

print, audiotape, etc.) should contact 

USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720– 

2600 (voice and TDD). To file a 

complaint of discrimination, write to 

USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 

1400 Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–9410, or call 

(800) 795–3272 (voice), or (202) 720– 

6382 (TDD). ‘‘USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider, employer, and 

lender.’’ 

Dated: July 17, 2009. 

Dallas Tonsager, 

Under Secretary. 

[FR Doc. E9–17512 Filed 7–22–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P 

COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS 

Sunshine Act Notice 

AGENCY: United States Commission on 

Civil Rights. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

DATE AND TIME: Friday, July 31, 2009; 

1:30 p.m. EDT. 

PLACE: Via Teleconference, Public Dial 

In—1–800–597–7623, Conference ID # 

21390687. 

Meeting Agenda 

This meeting is open to the public. 

I. Approval of Agenda 

II. State Advisory Committee Issues 

• Arizona SAC 

• Hawaii SAC 

• Michigan SAC 

• Utah SAC 

III. Program Planning 

• Update on National Civil Rights 

Conference 

IV. Adjourn 

CONTACT PERSON FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION: Lenore Ostrowsky, Acting 

Chief, Public Affairs Unit, (202) 376– 

8591. TDD: (202) 376–8116. 

Persons with a disability requiring 

special services, such as an interpreter 

for the hearing impaired, should contact 

Pamela Dunston at least seven days 

prior to the meeting at 202–376–8105. 

TDD: (202) 376–8116. 

Dated: July 21, 2009. 

David Blackwood, 

General Counsel. 

[FR Doc. E9–17726 Filed 7–21–09; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 6335–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

The Department of Commerce will 

submit to the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) for clearance the 

following proposal for collection of 

information under the emergency 

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction 

Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). 

Agency: National 

Telecommunications and Information 

Administration (NTIA). 

Title: Broadband Subscription and 

Usage Survey (Supplement to the 

Census Bureau’s Current Population 

Survey). 

OMB Control Number: 0660–0021. 

Agency Form Number: None. 

Type of Request: Emergency 

submission. 

Burden Hours: 581. 

Average Time per Response: 38 

seconds. 

Number of Respondents: 55,000. 

Needs and Uses: NTIA proposes to 

add five questions to the Census 

Bureau’s October 2009 Current 

Population Survey (CPS) in order to 

gather reliable data on broadband (also 

known as high-speed Internet) use by 

U.S. households. The Administration is 

committed to providing broadband 

service to every community in America. 

To that end, the Administration is 

working with Congress, NTIA, the 

Federal Communications Commission, 

Rural Utilities Service, the States, and 

other parties to develop and implement 

economic and regulatory policies that 

foster broadband deployment. Current, 

systematic, and comprehensive data on 

broadband subscription and use by U.S. 

households is critical to allow 

policymakers not only to gauge progress 

made to date, but also to identify 

problem areas with a specificity that 

permits carefully targeted and cost 

effective responses. 

The Census Bureau is widely regarded 

as a superior collector of data based on 

its centuries of experience and its 

scientific methods. Collection of NTIA’s 

requested broadband usage data, 

moreover, will occur in conjunction 

with Census’ scheduled October CPS, 

thereby significantly reducing the 

potential burdens on the Bureau and the 

households surveyed. The questions on 

Internet usage were included in seven 

previous Census household surveys. 

The need for comprehensive 

broadband data has become more 

pressing in recent months and has 

necessitated this request for expedited 

review. The General Accountability 

Office (GAO) recently issued reports 


erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES