[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 70 (Friday, April 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 20240]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-07741]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service


Broadband Pilot (ReConnect) Program

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notification.

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SUMMARY: On December 12, 2019, the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), a 
Rural Development agency of the United States Department of 
Agriculture, hereinafter referred to as the Agency, published a Funding 
Opportunity Announcement (FOA) and solicitation of applications for the 
Broadband Pilot (ReConnect) Program in the Federal Register. On March 
31, 2020, the Agency published a Notice in the Federal Register to 
extend the application window to April 15, 2020. This notice 
supplements the prior notice of March 31, 2020, and informs the public 
that the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) 
provides an additional $100 million for ReConnect grants to prevent, 
prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.

DATES: This policy is effective April 10, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laurel Leverrier, Acting Assistant 
Administrator Telecommunications Program, Rural Utilities Service, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA), email: [email protected], 
telephone (202) 720-9554. For general inquiries regarding the ReConnect 
Program Staff at https://www.usda.gov/reconnect/contact-us.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) published a Funding Opportunity 
Announcement (FOA) and solicitation of applications in the Federal 
Register on Thursday, December 12, 2019 (84 FR 67913), announcing its 
general policy and application procedures for funding under the 
broadband pilot program (ReConnect Program) established pursuant to the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (which became law on February 15, 
2019). The ReConnect Program provides loans, grants, and loan/grant 
combinations to facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas. On 
Monday, March 30, 2020, the Agency published a notice in the Federal 
Register amending the FOA for the second round of the ReConnect Program 
to inform the public of an extension of the application window until 
April 15, 2020 (85 FR 17530).

Purpose of This Notice

    On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus 
Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). Section 11004 of 
the CARES Act provides an additional $100,000,000 for grants under the 
ReConnect Program to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the 
coronavirus. The additional funding remains available until September 
30, 2021. The Agency will establish a set-aside for the $100 million 
for priority processing for applicants that submitted a 100% grant 
application during the first round of funding. For the application to 
be eligible for priority processing, the round one application must 
have been unsuccessful due to there being limited access to broadband 
in the proposed service area. Applicants are required to reapply during 
the second round of funding, which closes on April 15, 2020. The 
application must be for the same service area proposed by the applicant 
in the first round of funding to receive the prioritization, and the 
application must meet all other eligibility requirements. Applications 
already submitted during the second round of funding that meet these 
requirements will receive the priority consideration. The CARES Act 
also requires that at least 90 percent of the households to be served 
by a project receiving a grant shall be in a rural area without 
sufficient access to broadband. The CARES Act defines a rural area 
without sufficient access to broadband as 10 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps 
upstream. This definition will be reevaluated and redefined, as 
necessary, on an annual basis by the Secretary of Agriculture. In 
accordance with the CARES Act, an entity to which a grant is made under 
the ReConnect Program shall not use a grant to overbuild or duplicate 
broadband expansion efforts made by any entity that has received a 
broadband loan from the Agency.

Chad Rupe,
Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-07741 Filed 4-8-20; 4:15 pm]
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