[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 160 (Friday, August 17, 2001)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 43310-43314]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-20120]



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Part II





Department of Agriculture





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Rural Utilities Service



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7 CFR Part 1755



Telecommunications System Construction Contract and Specifications; RUS 
Standards for Service Installations at Customer Access Locations; Final 
Rules

  Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 160 / Friday August 17, 2001 / Rules 
and Regulations  

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service

7 CFR Part 1755

RIN 0572-AB41


Telecommunications System Construction Contract and 
Specifications

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) amends its regulations on 
Telecommunications Standards and Specifications for Materials, 
Equipment and Construction, by revising RUS Contract Form 515, 
Telephone System Construction Contract, and revising and renumbering 
RUS Bulletin 345-150, Specifications and Drawings for Construction of 
Direct Buried Plant (Form 515a); RUS Bulletin 345-151, Specifications 
and Drawings for Conduit and Manhole Construction (Form 515c); RUS 
Bulletin 345-152, Specifications and Drawings for Underground Cable 
Installation (Form 515d); RUS Bulletin 345-153, Specifications and 
Drawings for Construction of Pole Lines, Aerial Cables and Wires (Form 
515f); and RUS Bulletin 345-154, Specifications and Drawings for 
Service Entrance and Station Protector Installation (Form 515g). The 
revised contract and specifications will incorporate the latest 
technology, remove redundant or outdated requirements, and simplify the 
specification format.

DATES: Effective Date: September 17, 2001.
    Incorporation by Reference: The incorporation by reference of 
certain publications listed in this rule is approved by the Director of 
the Federal Register as of September 17, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charlie I. Harper, Jr., Chief, Outside 
Plant Branch, Telecommunications Standards Division, Rural Utilities 
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., 
Stop 1598, Washington, DC 20250-1598, telephone (202) 720-0667.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Executive Order 12866

    This final rule has been determined to be not significant for 
purposes of Executive Order 12866 and therefore has not been reviewed 
by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Executive Order 12988

    This final rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12988, 
Civil Justice Reform. RUS has determined that this final rule meets the 
applicable standards provided in section 3 of the Executive Order. In 
addition, all State and local laws and regulations that are in conflict 
with this rule will be preempted, no retroactive effort will be given 
to this rule, and, in accordance with section 212(e) of the Department 
of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912(e)), 
administrative appeal procedures, if any, must be exhausted before an 
action against the Department or its agencies may be initiated.

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification

    RUS has determined that this final rule will not have a significant 
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities, as defined 
by the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). The RUS 
telecommunications program provides loans to borrowers at interest 
rates and on terms that are more favorable than those generally 
available from the private sector. RUS borrowers, as result of 
obtaining federal financing, receive economic benefits that exceed any 
direct economic costs associated with complying with RUS regulations 
and requirements. Small entities are not subject to any requirements 
which are not applied equally to large entities.

Information Collection and Recordkeeping Requirements

    The reporting and recordkeeping requirements contained in this rule 
are pending approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under 
OMB control number 0572-0059, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).
    Send questions or comments regarding this burden or any other 
aspect of these collections of information, including suggestions for 
reducing the burden, to F. Lamont Heppe, Jr., Director, Program 
Development and Regulatory Analysis, Rural Utilities Service, USDA, 
1400 Independence Ave., SW, Stop 1522, Washington, DC 20250-1522.

National Environmental Policy Act Certification

    The Administrator of RUS has determined that this final rule will 
not significantly affect the quality of the human environment as 
defined by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
4321 et seq.) Therefore, this action does not require an environmental 
impact statement or assessment.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

    The program described by this final rule is listed in the Catalog 
of Federal Domestic Assistance program under No. 10.851, Rural 
Telephone Loans and Loan Guarantees, and No. 10.852, Rural Telephone 
Bank Loans. This catalog is available on a subscription basis from the 
Superintendent of Documents, the U.S. Government Printing Office, 
Washington, DC 20402-9325. Telephone (202) 512-1800.

Executive Order 12372

    This final rule is excluded from the scope of Executive Order 
12372, Intergovernmental Consultation, which may require consultation 
with State and local officials. A final rule related notice entitled 
``Department Programs and Activities Excluded from Executive Order 
12372,'' (50 FR 47034) exempts RUS and RTB loans and loan guarantees, 
and RTB bank loans, from coverage under this Order.

Unfunded Mandates

    This final rule contains no Federal mandates (under the regulatory 
provision of Title II of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act) for State, 
local, and tribal governments or the private sector. Thus this final 
rule is not subject to the requirements of sections 202 and 205 of the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.

Background

    RUS issues contracts, standards and specifications for construction 
of telecommunications facilities financed with RUS loan funds. RUS is 
revising the RUS Contract Form 515, Telephone System Construction 
Contract, and revising and renumbering the associated supplemental 
specifications from RUS Bulletin 345-150 (RUS Form 515a) to RUS 
Bulletin 1753F-150 (RUS Form 515a), Specifications and Drawings for 
Construction of Direct Buried Plant; RUS Bulletins 345-151 (RUS Form 
515c) and 345-152 (RUS Form 515d) combined into RUS Bulletin 1753F-151 
(RUS Form 515b), Specifications and Drawings for Construction of 
Underground Plant; RUS Bulletin 345-153 (RUS Form 515f) to RUS Bulletin 
1753F-152 (RUS Form 515c), Specifications and Drawings for Construction 
of Aerial Plant; and, RUS Bulletin 345-154 (RUS Form 515g) to RUS 
Bulletin 1753F-153 (RUS Form 515d), Specifications and Drawings for 
Service Installations at Customer Access Locations. The renumbering 
effort is to conform to the existing numbering system maintained by the 
agency.
    The current RUS Contract Form 515, Telephone System Construction

[[Page 43311]]

Contract and the associated supplemental specifications are used by 
borrowers to secure the services of a contractor for the construction 
of telecommunications facilities. Because of advancements made in 
construction installation methods and materials, the present form of 
the contract and the associated specifications have become outdated. To 
allow borrowers and contractors to take advantage of these improved 
construction installation methods and materials, the current contract 
form and associated specifications have been revised.

Comments

    On August 25, 2000, RUS published a proposed rule (65 FR 51773) to 
revise RUS Contract Form 515, Telephone System Construction Contract, 
and to revise and to renumber RUS Bulletin 345-150, Specifications and 
Drawings for Construction of Direct Buried Plant (Form 515a); RUS 
Bulletin 345-151, Specifications and Drawings for Conduit and Manhole 
Construction (Form 515c); RUS Bulletin 345-152, Specifications and 
Drawings for Underground Cable Installation (Form 515d); RUS Bulletin 
345-153, Specifications and Drawings for Construction of Pole Lines, 
Aerial Cables and Wires (Form 515f); and RUS Bulletin 345-154, 
Specifications and Drawings for Service Entrance and Station Protector 
Installation (form 515g). Comments on this proposed rule were due 
December 26, 2000. Comments and recommendations were received from 
several interested parties by this due date. The comments, 
recommendations, and responses are summarized as follows:
    Comment: One respondent commented that the proposed BM2A assembly 
unit in the proposed RUS Form 515a revision was not in compliance with 
the National Electrical Code (NEC).
    Response: RUS concurs with the respondent's comment and has made 
appropriate corrections to the unit description and its associated 
drawing as follows:
    a. Modify the BM2A assembly unit description to read as follows:
    ``BM2A Housing Auxiliary Ground Assembly Unit: Consists of the 
necessary labor and material for the installation of a ground rod clamp 
(if required) and the required length of a bare #6 AWG copper ground 
wire connected to a pole ground wire using a ground wire connector (see 
unit drawing BM2A)''.
    b. Modify the BM2A assembly unit drawing to show the proper 
placement of the connection according to the unit description. 
Additionally, add ``Note 4'' to the drawing to read as follows: ``Clamp 
shall be accepted by Listing Agency (UL, etc.) for two conductors, 
otherwise two clamps shall be used.''
    Comment: One respondent commented that the BM80, 81, and 82 
assembly unit drawing in the May 1989 issue of the RUS Form 515a 
indicates a 1-foot distance for placement of brackets from the top and 
bottom of the guard where the proposed BM80, 81, and 82 assembly unit 
drawing in the proposed RUS Form 515a revision shows a 1-inch distance. 
The respondent recommended that the proposed BM80, 81, and 82 assembly 
unit drawing be changed to indicate the 1-foot distance for placement 
of brackets from the top and bottom of the guard.
    Response: RUS concurs with the recommendation and will modify the 
dimensions on the final BM80, 81, and 82 assembly unit drawing to 
indicate a 12-inch distance for placement of the brackets from the top 
and bottom of the guard instead of the 1-inch distance.
    Comment: One commenter questioned the placement of the electric 
system ground connection at the house as shown in the proposed NID2 and 
NID3 assembly unit drawings in the proposed RUS Form 515d revision. The 
commenter recommended that the proposed NID2 and NID3 assembly unit 
drawings be changed to indicate the electric system ground connection 
be made from the power company's meter box instead of from the neutral 
power wire.
    Response: RUS agrees with the commenter's recommendation and will 
modify the proposed NID2 and NID3 assembly unit drawings to show the 
electric system ground connection originating at the electric meter 
box.
    Comment: One commenter recommended that a document titled ``Consent 
of Surety Company to Final Payment'' be included in the proposed RUS 
Form 515 contract revision.
    Response: After much consideration, RUS has concluded that the 
inclusion of this document into the proposed RUS Form 515 contract 
revision would result in more burdensome bonding requirements than the 
United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) standard bonding 
requirements. This additional requirement would also increase the 
paperwork burden and does not accomplish any added protection under the 
contract. Therefore, RUS will not modify the existing language of the 
proposed RUS Form 515 contract to require inclusion of this document 
into the contract.
    Comment: One respondent recommended that the completion time in 
``days'' in the ``Notice to Bidders'' of the proposed RUS Form 515 
contract revision be changed to read ``calendar days (excluding 
Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays)'' in order to be consistent 
with the language elsewhere in the proposed contract revision.
    Response: RUS agrees with the recommendation and will change the 
existing language in the ``Notice to Bidders'' to the language 
recommended by the commenter.
    Comment: The same respondent recommended that the maximum 3-inch 
bore diameter specified in the proposed BM61 assembly unit of the 
proposed RUS Forms 515a and 515d revisions be eliminated and that a 
suffix be utilized to indicate the size of the bore diameter.
    Response: RUS agrees with the recommendation and will modify the 
proposed BM61 assembly unit to include the size of the bore diameter in 
inches specified in parentheses. The final BM61 assembly unit will now 
read as follows: ``BM61( ) Underground Non-Pipe Crossing Assembly 
Unit--Consists of the labor in providing a hole in soil one (1) foot 
(0.305 m) in length and of a diameter in inches (meters) specified in 
parentheses. The depth of the hole below the surface of the ground 
shall be specified by the Engineer. This unit includes any excavation, 
backfilling and tamping necessary for the installation. This unit may 
be used where the permanent installation of a steel or plastic pipe 
under the BM60 unit is not required. The contractor will be compensated 
for labor and material for the buried cable or wire under separate 
units. Where directional boring is required, the unit will be suffixed 
by the letter ``D''.
    Comment: The third comment from the same respondent concerned 
clarifying the manner in which the proposed BM71 assembly unit listed 
in the proposed RUS Forms 515a and 515d revisions is determined in 
construction. In particular, the capabilities of the equipment and 
number of passes with that equipment were pointed out as significant 
components of determination of when to decide to commence the rock 
unit.
    Response: In review of revisions to the construction contract, RUS 
considered that there continues to be a need for local discretionary 
actions in the determination of several units. In case of the proposed 
BM71 assembly unit, there have been only minor changes in the 
description of the unit. Specific application of the proposed BM71 
assembly unit in the field remains a determination by the engineer, as 
conditions vary in actual construction circumstances. Therefore, the 
existing language of the proposed BM71

[[Page 43312]]

assembly unit will not be modified as recommended by the commenter.
    Comment: Comment four from the same respondent recommended that the 
proposed HBFO assembly unit description listed in the proposed RUS Form 
515a revision be changed to a description similar to the proposed HBF 
assembly unit also listed in the proposed RUS Form 515a revision.
    Response: RUS considers that there are advantages to several ways 
to describe the proposed HBFO unit. However, it is necessary in some 
circumstances to specify beyond the basic unit description. In 
practice, the situation is generally resolved by the engineering and 
design of the system at the specification stage. Respecting that there 
are advantages to other methods, there is not an overwhelming reason to 
modify the unit description. Therefore, RUS will not modify the 
proposed HBFO assembly unit description as recommended by the 
respondent.
    Comment: The fifth comment from the same commenter questioned the 
reason for having a proposed BM22 assembly unit and a proposed PM22 
assembly unit, both with similar uses. The proposed BM22 assembly unit 
is listed in the proposed RUS Form 515a revision and the proposed PM22 
assembly unit is listed in the proposed RUS Form 515c revision.
    Response: The proposed PM22 assembly unit is a carry-over from 
earlier construction practices and would be used in the case of all 
aerial construction, avoiding having a buried unit. RUS finds a 
possible application for the PM22 assembly unit that would avoid 
unnecessary duplication of the buried specification. There are also 
other assembly units that remain in similar circumstances (PM21 and 
BM21; UH and BH). Therefore, RUS will not eliminate the proposed PM22 
assembly unit listed in the proposed RUS Form 515c revision.
    Comment: Comment number six from the same commenter concerned 
removal of specifications and drawings for poured-in-place manholes 
from the proposed RUS Form 515b revision.
    Response: The January 1990 issue of the RUS Form 515 contract 
specified poured-in-place manholes, with precast manholes as an option. 
The proposed RUS Form 515 contract revision indicates that precast 
manholes are the default with poured-in-place manholes as the option. 
It is RUS's intention to develop guidelines for poured-in-place 
manholes as a separate publication. RUS also recognizes that precast 
manhole products are made to certain industry standards and RUS chooses 
not to duplicate those efforts. Therefore, RUS will not include the 
specifications and drawings for poured-in-place manholes in the RUS 
Form 515b revision as requested by the commenter.
    Comment: The seventh comment from the same commenter recommended 
that an assembly unit for placing innerducts (sub-ducting) in larger 
conduits be added to the proposed RUS Form 515b revision.
    Response: RUS agrees with the commenter that changes in technology 
have added to the scope of work that takes place where it would be 
advantageous to allow for such sub-ducting. Therefore, an additional 
description for innerduct in conduit (sub-ducting) will be added as a 
suffix to the UD assembly unit in the RUS Form 515b. In addition, an 
example of the new unit description will also be added to the UD 
assembly unit. The new suffix will be the letter ``V'' and its 
description and example will read and appear as follows:
    ``V--One or more vacant innerduct to be placed in a conduit. The 
parentheses for the UD unit shall indicate the number of innerducts 
followed by the inside diameter of the innerduct to be placed in new or 
existing conduit, including rodding and cleaning of the conduit if 
necessary''.
    ``Example: UD(3-1.25)V--Indicates 3 innerducts of 1.25 inch inner 
diameter to be placed in new or existing conduit''.
    Comment: The last comment from the same respondent recommended that 
check off boxes for measuring fiber optic splice loss at 1310 and 1550 
nanometers be added to the Table identified as Schedule of Acceptance 
Tests listed in the proposed RUS Form 515 contract revision.
    Response: RUS agrees that all standard acceptance tests should be 
included in the table and will modify the table to include check off 
boxes for measuring fiber optic splice loss at 1310 and 1550 nanometers 
in the RUS Form 515 contract revision.
    Comment: One respondent recommended that ``ripping'' be removed 
from the proposed BFC and BFO assembly units listed in the proposed RUS 
Form 515a revision. The respondent also recommended that ``ripping'' be 
included in the proposed RUS Form 515a revision as a separate assembly 
unit designated BM76. The reason for commenters' recommendations are 
due to several arguments, including options to control the number of 
ripping passes and the occasion when ripping will be used.
    Response: Extensive discussions were conducted during the revision 
process and these discussions included many of comments cited by the 
respondent. By including ``ripping'' in the proposed BFC and BFO cable 
placement assembly units, a cost impact is not anticipated. While there 
are merits to not changing the units, RUS views the change as a way to 
bid projects on an equitable basis. Therefore, RUS will not modify the 
proposed RUS Form 515a revision to include a separate assembly unit for 
``ripping''.
    Comment: The second comment from the same respondent concerned the 
definition of ``cable placement operations'' in the proposed RUS Form 
515 contract revision, specifically whether an inspector is necessary 
during cable blowing operations.
    Response: The reason that the ``cable placement operation'' 
definition in the proposed RUS Form 515 contract was initially changed 
was to better match the construction activities to the quantity of 
inspectors that were present on the project. This is the basis for the 
comment, for which additional definition would serve no purpose. 
Therefore, RUS will not modify the existing definition for ``cable 
placement operations'' in the RUS Form 515 contract revision.
    Comment: The third comment from the same commenter questioned why 
shield to ground testing listed in the ``Schedule of Acceptance Tests'' 
table in the proposed RUS Form 515 contract revision should be 
performed on cable placed in plowcon.
    Response: The purpose of shield to ground testing is to ensure that 
the contractor did not damage the cable in the placement operation. The 
point is valid, although the use of the specific application is not 
common enough for specific reference in the contract, although the 
owner could choose to relieve the contractor from this testing on a 
case-by-case basis.
    Comment: Comment number four from the same commenter concerned the 
co-insurance option for liability insurance in the proposed RUS Form 
515 contract revision, indicating that the telecommunications company 
and engineer could still be named in litigation.
    Response: RUS agrees with the commenter that we can never avoid the 
possibility of litigation. At the request of borrowers, contractors, 
and engineers, the option to provide for added insurance was included 
in the proposed RUS Form 515 contract revision. By including this 
option, the borrower may select co-insurance as an added protection. 
Therefore, RUS will not remove the co-insurance liability option from 
the 515 contract revision.

[[Page 43313]]

    Comment: Comment number five from the same respondent concerned the 
proposed BH assembly unit description listed in the proposed RUS Form 
515a revision. The respondent recommended that the wording ``to be used 
only in areas of pedestrian traffic'' be removed from the assembly unit 
description because handholes are often placed in areas where the only 
pedestrian traffic is a coyote chasing a prairie dog.
    Response: RUS agrees with the commenter's recommendation. 
Therefore, RUS will change the wording ``should be used only for areas 
of pedestrian traffic'' in the BH assembly unit description of the 
proposed RUS Form 515a revision to ``shall be used only in areas of 
non-vehicular traffic''. This will protect coyotes and prairie dogs.
    Because the UH assembly unit description listed in the proposed RUS 
Form 515b revision is similar to the proposed BH assembly unit, the 
proposed UH assembly unit description listed in the RUS Form 515b 
revision will also be changed to indicate that these handholes should 
be used only in areas of non-vehicular traffic to make both assembly 
unit descriptions consistent.
    Comment: The last comment from the same commenter concerned the 
minimum depth of a buried service wire in rock. The commenter pointed 
out that the ``Table of Depths'' specified in paragraph 3.2 of the 
proposed RUS Form 515d revision did not apply when the minimum depth in 
rock is 3 inches.
    Response: RUS agrees with the commenter and will remove the ``Table 
of Depths'' specified in paragraph 3.2 from the proposed RUS Form 515d 
revision.
    No other comments were received. RUS' review of the proposed Form 
515 contract, Form 515a, Form 515b, Form 515c, and Form 515d revisions 
revealed that these revisions needed additional clarification and 
consistency between existing RUS published contracts and between the 
individual proposed documents. Therefore to provide the needed 
clarification and to make individual documents consistent, RUS has made 
the following changes to the proposed document:
    a. To insure that contractors and borrowers are using the latest 
issue of RUS forms related to the contract, a parenthetical statement 
indicating that the current issue of related RUS forms is to be 
utilized has been added to page i, Roman numeral III of the final RUS 
Form 515 contract.
    b. To make the proposed RUS 515 contract's approval period 
consistent with other RUS published contract forms, the ``60-day 
period'' was changed to the ``90-day period'' in the ``Instructions to 
Bidders, paragraph 10'' and ``Article VII, section 8'' of the final RUS 
Form 515 contract.
    c. To emphasize that the liquidated damage amount is an owner's 
decision, the ``Liquidated Damage Amount'' along with page number 
references has been added to the index as the first item under the 
``Owner--Prior to Release for Bids Completes'' heading of the final RUS 
Form 515 contract.
    d. Editorial changes were made to the ``Notice to Bidders'' and 
``Instruction to Bidders'' sections of final RUS Form 515 Contract by 
adding the ``(s)'' or ``(ies)'' to the words ``state,'' ``county,'' and 
``exchange'' to indicated that the construction project could be 
performed in more than one location.
    e. Changed the language ``shown on the maps and construction 
sheets'' in paragraph 18(d), ``Instruction to Bidders'', to ``shown on 
the construction sheets'' of the final RUS Form 515 contract. The 
reason for the change in language is because the definition of 
``construction sheets'' on page 97 of the final RUS Form 515 contract 
includes ``maps''.
    f. Removed the parenthetical statement indicating the type of pole 
preservatives allowed in ``Section A--POLE UNITS'' and ``Section BA--
BURIED PLANT HOUSING STUB POLE UNITS'' listed in the final RUS Form 515 
contract. The reason for removal is that the consulting engineer 
specifies the type of pole preservative to be used on poles and stub 
poles.
    g. Moved the language ``Rural Utilities Service (hereinafter called 
the ``Administrator'')'' from paragraph 3 to paragraph 2 of the 
``Contractor's Proposal'' in the final RUS Form 515 contract to place 
the reference in the appropriate paragraph.
    h. Placed a parenthetical statement referencing the ``RUS Form 168b 
or 168c'' in paragraph 13 of the ``Contractor's Proposal'' in the 
proposed RUS Form 515 contract to delineate the appropriate form to be 
used in the contractor's proposal.
    i. Changed the ``BD12R'' example shown in the proposed BD assembly 
unit of the proposed RUS Form 515a to a ``BD14R'' example. The reason 
for the change is because a BD12 size buried plant housing does not 
exist in the proposed assembly unit.
    j. Changed the language ``ripping (where necessary)'' to ``ripping 
(where necessary as determined by the Engineer)'' in the proposed BFC 
and BFO assembly units in the final RUS Form 515a to clarify the 
ripping application.
    k. Changed the language ``vacant tubes'' to ``vacant ducts'' in the 
proposed ``V( )( )'' suffix under the BFC and BFO assembly units in the 
final RUS Form 515a for consistency.
    l. Added the suffix ``T'' to the BH assembly unit listed in the 
final RUS Form 515a to indicate that these type handholes can be used 
in areas of vehicular traffic if rated for such usage. The reason for 
the change is to make the BH assembly unit consistent with the UH 
assembly unit listed in the final RUS Form 515b.
    m. Changed the language ``suffixed by `E()', where the required 
depth shall be shown inside the parentheses'' to ``suffixed by `E( )', 
where the required depth in rock shall be shown inside the 
parentheses'' in the BM71 assembly unit listed in the final RUS Forms 
515a and 515d. The reason for the change is to clarify that ``E( )'' 
suffix associated with the proposed BM71 assembly unit specifically 
refers to the depth in rock rather than from the surface of the earth.
    n. All assembly unit and construction guide drawings were reviewed 
for editorial content. The review resulted in RUS revising the drawings 
for editorial content to ensure consistent formatting, text font, 
leader dimensions, etc. This resulted in changing the issue date from 
``August 1999'' to ``March 2001'' for all assembly unit and 
construction guide drawings listed in RUS Forms 515a, 515b, 515c, and 
515d.

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 1755

    Incorporation by reference, Loan programs--communications, 
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Rural areas, Telephone.


    For reasons set out in the preamble, RUS amends chapter XVII of 
title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations as follows:

PART 1755--TELECOMMUNICATIONS STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR 
MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION

    1. The authority citation for part 1755 continues to read as 
follow:

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 901 et seq., 1921 et seq., 6941 et seq.


    2. Section 1755.30(c)(34) is revised to read as follows:


Sec. 1755.30  List of telecommunications standard contract forms.

* * * * *
    (c) List of telecommunications standard contract forms.
* * * * *

[[Page 43314]]

    (34) RUS Form 515, issued September 17, 2001, Telecommunications 
Systems Construction Contract (Labor and Materials).
* * * * *
    3. Section 1755.97 is amended by revising the section heading and 
the introductory text, removing the entries RUS Bulletins 345-150, 345-
151, 345-152, 345-153, and 345-154 from the table and adding in 
numerical order new entries 1753F-150, 1753F-151, 1753F-152, and 1753F-
153 to read as follows:


Sec. 1755.97  Incorporation by reference of telecommunications 
standards and specifications.

    The following telecommunications bulletins have been approved for 
incorporation by reference by the Director of the Office of the Federal 
Register in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. These 
bulletins contain construction standards and specifications for 
materials and equipment and may be obtained from the Rural Utilities 
Service, Program Development and Regulatory Analysis, 1400 Independence 
Ave., SW, Stop 1522, Room 4028 South Building, Washington, DC 20250-
1522. The bulletins are available for inspection at RUS, at the address 
above, and the Office of the Federal Register, 800 North Capitol 
Street, NW., Suite 700, Washington, DC. These materials are 
incorporated as they exist on the date of the approval and notice of 
any change in these materials will be published in the Federal 
Register. The terms ``RUS form'', ``RUS standard form'', ``RUS 
specification'', and ``RUS bulletin'' have the same meaning as the 
terms ``REA form'', ``REA standards form'', ``REA specification'', and 
``REA bulletin'', respectively, unless otherwise indicated. The table 
of bulletins follows:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                        Date last       Title of standard or
           RUS Bulletin No.                   Specification No.           issued            specification
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
*                  *                  *                  *                  *                  *
                                                        *
1753F-150............................  Form 515a                           9/17/01  Specifications and Drawings
                                                                                     for Construction of Direct
                                                                                     Buried Plant.
1753F-151............................  Form 515b                           9/12/01  Specifications and Drawings
                                                                                     for Construction of
                                                                                     Underground Plant.
1753F-152............................  Form 515c                           9/17/01  Specifications and Drawings
                                                                                     for Construction of Aerial
                                                                                     Plant.
1753F-153............................  Form 515d                           9/17/01  Specifications and Drawings
                                                                                     for Service Installation at
                                                                                     Customer Access Locations.
 
*                  *                  *                  *                  *                  *
                                                        *
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Dated: August 1, 2001.
Blaine D. Stockton,
Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 01-20120 Filed 8-16-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-15-P