[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 101 (Thursday, May 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 45629]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-11339]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service

[Docket #: RUS-24-AGENCY-0015 ]


Notice of Publication of RUS List of Eligible Countries

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), a Rural Development Agency 
of the United States Department of Agriculture is issuing this notice 
to revise the list of eligible countries for purchases made by RUS 
Telecommunications and Electric Program awardees by adding new 
countries to the list to reflect the November 2023 RUS Eligible 
Countries published by the Office of the United States Trade 
Representative (USTR) as detailed in the Supplementary Information 
Section of this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    For Electric Program matters: Donald Junta, Deputy Assistant 
Administrator, Office of Customer Service and Technical Assistance, 
RUS, U.S. Department of Agriculture, STOP 1569, 1400 Independence Ave. 
SW, Washington, DC 20250-1569. Telephone number (202) 720-1900, Email: 
[email protected].
    For Telecommunications Program matters: Aylene Mafnas, Deputy 
Assistant Administrator, Policy and Outreach Division, RUS, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, STOP 1590, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, 
Washington, DC 20250-1590. Telephone number (202) 690-4673, Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: RUS published a notice in the Federal Register on 
February 18, 1997, at 62 FR 7205 that the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, 
(108 Stat. 4954, Pub. L. 103-465, December 8, 1994), amended the ``Buy 
American'' provision, (7 U.S.C. 903 note) of the Rural Electrification 
Act of 1936, as amended (7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.) (the ``RE Act''). Under 
the amendment, the USTR is authorized to determine which countries are 
eligible to have their products receive the same treatment as 
manufactured and unmanufactured products produced in the United States. 
RUS publishes a new notice in the Federal Register to reflect any 
updates by the USTR. The last notice to update the list was published 
June 27, 2014, at 79 FR 36458.
    Eligible Countries: Based on the updates to the list of eligible 
countries found at the following USTR Link: https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/assets/procurement/Rural%20Utilities%20Service_Electric%20and%20Telecom_11.23%20Final.pdf, 
the following are the eligible countries for the RUS Telecommunications 
and Electric Program awardees:
    For Telecommunications Program awardees, eligible countries are: 
Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chinese 
Taipei, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, 
Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, 
Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, 
Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, North Macedonia, Poland, 
Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Korea, 
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and United Kingdom.
    For Electric Program awardees, eligible countries are: Armenia, 
Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, 
Chinese Taipei, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, 
Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, 
Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, 
Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, 
Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, 
Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Panama, Peru, Poland, 
Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Korea, 
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and United Kingdom.
    For Electric and Telecommunications Program awardees: Eligibility 
of contracts with certain countries may be limited by contract amount 
or other restrictions. Awardees should reach out to the appropriate 
program individual as shown in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
section of this notice for additional information.
    The USTR may at any time declare one or more additional countries 
to be ``eligible countries'' for either Electric or Telecommunications 
Program awardees. Each RUS awardee is responsible for assuring that its 
procurement complies with the requirements of the RE Act ``Buy 
American'' provision.

Andrew Berke,
Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-11339 Filed 5-22-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-15-P