Department of Agriculture November 15, 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice is to invite applications for loans and grants under the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) Programs for fiscal year (FY) 2019, subject to the availability of funding. This notice is being issued in order to allow applicants sufficient time to leverage financing, prepare and submit their applications, and give the Agency time to process applications within FY 2019. Successful applications will be selected by the Agency for funding and subsequently awarded to the extent that funding may ultimately be made available through appropriations. An announcement on the website at https://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/notices-solicitation-applicat ions-nosas will identify the amount received in the appropriations. All applicants are responsible for any expenses incurred in developing their applications.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 this notice announces the intention of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to seek approval to conduct a new information collection to gather data related to what types of technologies are used on farms during a specified reference period. This clearance will allow NASS to conduct surveys in a timely manner for the cooperating institutions providing funding for the surveys.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an Agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), announces that it is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2019 for the Rural Broadband Access Loans and Loan Guarantees Program (the Broadband Program). RUS will publish the amount of funding received through the final appropriations act on its website at https://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/notices- solicitation-applications-nosas. RUS is accepting applications on a rolling basis throughout FY 2019. This will give RUS the ability to request additional information and modifications to a submitted application whenever necessary. Applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis. Every 90 days, RUS will conduct an evaluation of the submitted applications. During the evaluation period, applications will be ranked based on the percentage of unserved households that the applicant proposes to serve. RUS will conduct at least two evaluation periods for FY 2019. Because the Agency will receive applications throughout the fiscal year, subsequent evaluation periods can alter the ranking of applications. In addition to announcing its acceptance of FY 2019 applications, RUS revises the minimum and maximum amounts for broadband loans for the fiscal year.