[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 23618]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-08172]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 74 / Tuesday, April 18, 2023 / 
Notices  

[[Page 23618]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Agriculture has submitted the following 
information collection requirement(s) to Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995, Public Law 104-13. Comments are requested regarding: whether 
the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance 
of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will 
have practical utility; the accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden 
including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; ways to 
enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be 
collected; ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information 
on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments regarding this information collection received by May 18, 
2023 will be considered. Written comments and recommendations for the 
proposed information collection should be submitted within 30 days of 
the publication of this notice on the following website 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information 
collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information 
unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB 
control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to 
respond to the collection of information that such persons are not 
required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number.

Rural Utilities Service

    Title: Broadband Technical Assistance Program.
    OMB Control Number: 0572-NEW.
    Summary of Collection: The Rural eConnectivity Program (ReConnect) 
was authorized under 7 U.S.C. 901 et seq., and Public Law 115-141, 779. 
The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will use technical 
assistance funds appropriated under the Infrastructure Investment and 
Jobs Act (IIJA) (Pub. L. 117-58). Applications received under the FOA 
will be administered by the Rural Utilities Service (RUS or the 
Agency), a Rural Development (RD) agency of the United States 
Department of Agriculture. The assistance instrument for this program 
will be through cooperative agreements which RD is authorized to 
administer pursuant to 7 U.S.C. 2204b(b)(4).
    This FOA provides competitive cooperative agreement funding to 
eligible entities to ensure technical assistance and training is 
delivered to rural communities in need of high-speed internet and rural 
broadband providers. Program funds must be used to support broadband 
technical assistance activities which include, but are not limited to, 
project planning and community engagement, operations support, 
financial sustainability, environmental compliance, engineering, 
accessing federal resources, and data collection and reporting. The 
goal of the program is to support the expansion of high-speed internet 
into unserved rural communities.
    Need and Use of the Information: Applications submitted for 
consideration will be reviewed for eligibility and completeness. 
Applications determined to be eligible will be evaluated according to 
the scoring criteria outlined in the FOA. The scoring criterion is 
targeted to applicants that demonstrate strong work plans, 
organizational capacity, clear performance metrics, and the ability to 
reach the most rural communities. Points are also available for 
projects benefitting targeted groups such as Tribes and Tribal 
Entities, colonias, persistent poverty counties, and distressed energy 
communities.
    Failure to collect proper information from applicants could hinder 
the government's selection of funding recipients, and result in 
improper determinations of assistance, increase legal costs to the 
recipients as well as encumber customer service and, ultimately, slow 
the deployment of assistance to rural areas in need of high-speed 
internet. The timing of technical assistance is critical due to the 
historic levels of broadband funding made available under the IIJA. The 
programs created and funded under the IIJA are beginning to disburse 
funding and technical assistance is critical to ensure unserved rural 
communities are able to participate in these programs, successfully 
implement projects and properly manage funds.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals and Households.
    Number of Respondents: 50.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 1,255.

Levi S. Harrell,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-08172 Filed 4-17-23; 8:45 am]
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