[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 103 (Friday, May 27, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30904-30905]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-13126]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service


Rural Utilities Service Telecommunications Loan and Loan 
Guarantee Program

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of elimination of the List of Materials.

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SUMMARY: Rural Development's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and its 
predecessor, the Rural Electrification Administration, (REA) have 
played a leading role in helping rural America gain access to advanced 
telecommunications systems, equipment and services. The List of 
Materials historically has been a very useful tool in assuring product 
quality and reliability. However, Rural Development is taking a 
fundamentally new approach to advancing state-of-the-art 
telecommunications technologies, consistent with our commitment to high 
quality rural service and the efficient use of taxpayer dollars.

DATES: Effective May 23, 2011, Rural Development will no longer accept 
applications for equipment to be added to the List of Materials and 
will cease publication of the List of Materials for Telecommunications, 
RUS Information Publication 344-2.

ADDRESSES: An open letter from RUS Administrator Jonathan Adelstein is 
available at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/RUSTelecomPrograms.html. Any 
further information regarding this subject will also be posted on this 
Web site.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Gary B. Allan, Acting Director, 
USDA-

[[Page 30905]]

RUS-ASD, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., STOP 1550, Room 2844, Washington, 
DC 20250; Tel: 202-690-4493; Fax: 202-720-1051.
    Background: Technology has changed dramatically since the start of 
the agency's telecommunications program in 1949. The telecommunications 
equipment supply sector is very different, and far more complex and 
diverse, today than it was over 60 years ago. Product life cycles have 
accelerated, innovations abound and new suppliers have entered the 
market.
    In this new technology environment, Rural Development must operate 
efficiently and effectively under current budgetary constraints. 
Maintaining the List of Materials, which includes a product by product 
review, simply cannot be sustained under our current budget and with 
our limited staff.
    To protect our loan security and compliance with continuing Buy 
America statutory mandates, we will transition from a listing process 
to an approach which ensures that construction financed by RUS meets 
applicable industry standards. This new approach will be incorporated 
into our review of individual projects and the approval of loan 
advances.
    Although the agency is ending the publication of the list, it is 
not ending its insistence that infrastructure financed by taxpayers 
through our program conform to the highest technical standards. It is 
also not altering its statutory Buy America obligations. In addition to 
facilitating government efficiency, this new approach will give our 
customers increased flexibility to find and deploy technology that 
meets the specific needs of their customers. Our staff stands prepared 
to work with applicants and borrowers to help them deploy effective 
technology that meets the needs of the rural communities they serve.
    In addition, RUS understands that many borrowers that have put 
contracts out to bid requiring utilization of the List of Materials. In 
these cases, borrowers have two choices. First, they can cancel the bid 
solicitation or modify the solicitation to extend the bid date or 
clarify the bidding terms based upon the List of Materials no longer 
being available. Or two, they can require that bidders still follow the 
List of Materials that was in effect on the date the contract was put 
out to bid. In the event a potential bidder does not have a copy of the 
List of Materials that was in effect on the date the contract was put 
out to bid, the bidder may contact RUS staff for assistance in 
determining whether certain equipment was on the approved list at the 
time. RUS staff stand ready to assist all customers during this 
transition period.

    Dated: May 23, 2011.
Jonathan Adelstein,
Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-13126 Filed 5-26-11;8:45 am]
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