Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2014/12/17/2014-29600/announcement-of-grant-application-deadlines-and-funding-levels
Timestamp: 2018-03-21 17:39:32
Document Index: 600824547

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1739', 'art 25', 'art 180', 'art 417', 'art 3018', 'art 421', 'art 170']

A Notice by the Rural Utilities Service on 12/17/2014
79 FR 75120
75120-75124 (5 pages)
2014-29600
A. Who is eligible for a Community Connect grant? (See 7 CFR 1739.10.)
B. Who is not eligible for Community Connect grants?
C. What are the basic eligibility requirements for a project?
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2014-29600 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2014-29600
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.
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.
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.”
Shawn Arner, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Loan Origination and Start Printed Page 75121Approval Division, Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, telephone: (202) 720-0800, fax: (202) 205-2921.
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.
II. Award Information: Minimum and maximum amounts.
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 “community-oriented 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.
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.
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.
Award documents specify the term of each award.
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
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.
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 Start Printed Page 75122in 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.
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.
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.
2. The Rural Utilities Service, Loan Origination and Approval Division, for paper copies of these materials: (202) 720-0800.
k. Additional Funding. If the Project requires additional funding from other sources in addition to the RUS grant, the Start Printed Page 75123applicant must provide evidence that funding agreements have been obtained to ensure completion of the Project.
(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—Government-wide 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.
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.”
(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.
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.
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.
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).Start Printed Page 75124
(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;
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
[FR Doc. 2014-29600 Filed 12-16-14; 8:45 am]