[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 37 (Monday, February 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5981-5983]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-03163]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Broadband Pilot Program--ReConnect Program
AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, Department of Agriculture.
ACTION: Establishment of application deadlines, and clarification
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SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announced its general policy
and application procedures for funding under the eConnectivity Pilot
Program (ReConnect Program) on December 14, 2018, in the Federal
Register. The Reconnect Program will provide loans, grants, and loan/
grant combinations to
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facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas. In facilitating the
expansion of broadband services and infrastructure, ReConnect will fuel
long-term rural economic development and opportunities in rural
America. The awards made under this program will bring high speed
broadband to the farms which will allow them to increase productivity.
This Notice amends the original application window closing dates that
were published in the December 14, 2018, Federal Register Notice and
provides the anticipated date that the opening application window will
be announced.
DATES: In March 2019, the Agency will announce the date that
applications will start being accepted through https://reconnect.usda.gov. Please note there are three funding categories with
each category having different application windows (as referenced in
Section II of SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION). Please refer to the specific
funding category for the appropriate application deadline.
ADDRESSES: The application system for electronic submissions will be
available at https://reconnect.usda.gov.
Electronic submissions: Electronic submissions of applications will
allow for the expeditious review of an Applicant's proposal. As a
result, all Applicants must file their application electronically.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general inquiries, contact Chad
Parker, Assistant Administrator Telecommunications Program, Rural
Utilities Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), email:
[email protected], telephone (202) 720-9554. You may obtain
additional information regarding applications at https://reconnect.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority: This solicitation is issued pursuant to the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2018, Public Law 115-141, and the Rural
Electrification Act of 1936, 7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.
Overview
Federal Agency: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
Funding Opportunity Title: Rural eConnectivity Pilot Program
(ReConnect Program).
Announcement Type: Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) and
solicitation of applications.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: Rural
eConnectivity Pilot Program (ReConnect Program)--10.752.
I. Background
On March 23, 2018, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations
Act 2018 (the FY2018 Appropriations), which established a broadband
loan and grant pilot program, the Rural eConnectivity Pilot Program
(hereinafter the ReConnect Program). One of the essential goals of the
ReConnect Program is to expand broadband service to rural areas without
sufficient access to broadband, defined as 10 megabits per second
(Mbps) downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. For this purpose, Congress
provided RUS with $600 million and expanded its existing authority to
make loans and grants.
On December 14, 2018, RUS published a Funding Opportunity
Announcement (FOA) and solicitation of applications in the Federal
Register at 83 FR 64315. The FOA provided the policy and application
procedures for the ReConnect Program. As announced in the FOA, the
agency is publishing this notice to provide the final application
windows for the ReConnect Program.
II. Funding Categories and Application Submission Dates
A. Funding Categories
1. 100 Percent Loan
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through July 12,
2019. In the event two loan applications are received for the same
proposed funded service area, the application to arrive first will be
considered first.
2. 50 Percent Loan/50 Percent Grant Combination
Applications will be accepted through June 21, 2019.
Notwithstanding overlapping applications, generally all eligible
applications will be scored and the applications with the highest score
will receive an award offer until all funds are expended for this
category. Scoring criteria was established in the Federal Register
Funding Opportunity Announcement on December 14, 2018, and can also be
found on the website https://reconnect.usda.gov.
3. 100 Percent Grant
Applications will be accepted through May 31, 2019. Notwithstanding
overlapping applications, generally all eligible applications will be
scored and the applications with the highest score will receive an
award offer until all funds are expended for this category. Scoring
criteria was established in the Federal Register Funding Opportunity
Announcement on December 14, 2018, and can also be found on the website
https://reconnect.usda.gov.
B. Available Funds
1. General
Approximately $600,000,000 in funding has been set aside for
funding opportunities under this FOA.
2. Funding Limits
Award amounts under this FOA will be limited as follows:
a. 100 Percent Loan. Up to $200,000,000 is available for loans. The
maximum amount that can be requested in an application is $50,000,000.
b. 50 Percent Loan--50 Percent Grant. Up to $200,000,000 is
available for loan/grant combinations. The maximum amount that can be
requested in an application is $25,000,000 for the loan and $25,000,000
for the grant. Loan and grant amounts will always be equal.
c. 100 Percent Grant. Up to $200,000,000 is available for grants.
The maximum amount that can be requested in an application is
$25,000,000.
d. Reserve. Additional budget authority is available for a reserve,
which may be used for loans or grants under this FOA, or may be
included in additional FOAs. The agency reserves the right to increase
funding utilizing the application queue under this FOA should
additional appropriations become available for the same purposes.
3. Repooling
RUS retains the discretion to divert funds from one funding
category to another.
4. Award Period
Awards can be made until all funds have been expended in any given
funding category. While the completion time will vary depending on the
complexity of the project, award recipients must complete construction
of their projects within 5 years from the date funds are first made
available.
5. Type of Funding Instrument
The funding instruments will be grants, loans, and loan/grant
combinations.
III. Program Requirements
To be eligible for an award, applications must meet all the
requirements contained in FOA that opened the ReConnect Program which
was published in the Federal Register on December 14, 2018, at 83 FR
64315. Information can also be found at https://reconnect.usda.gov.
IV. Program Clarification
This Announcement clarifies that the appropriate State official
referenced in Section VII(a)(9) of the FOA, included
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for reference below, is the Governor of the State. Certifications from
anyone other than the Governor will not be accepted and the associated
points will not be awarded.
Section VII(a)(9) State Broadband Activity (20 points)
For projects that are in a State that has a broadband plan that has
been updated within five years of the date of publication the Federal
Register Funding Opportunity Announcement published on December 14,
2018, 10 points will be awarded. An additional 5 points will be awarded
for projects located in states that do not restrict utilities from
delivering broadband service, and 5 more points for projects located in
states that expedite right-of-way and environmental permitting
requirements.
In order to receive these points related to State government
actions, each application will be required to submit evidence from the
appropriate State official that a broadband plan is up-to-date and
available on a public website, that there are no restrictions on
utilities participating in the provision of broadband service, and that
procedures are in place for expediting administrative activities for
completing right-of-way and environmental permitting requirements that
can be executed for the project if necessary, in order to meet the
Agency's project build-out timelines. If service is proposed in
multiple states, then evidence must be submitted from each state to get
the appropriate points.
Dated: February 19, 2019.
Bette B. Brand,
Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-03163 Filed 2-22-19; 8:45 am]
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