Rural Utilities Service December 24, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development administers rural utilities programs through the Rural Utilities Service. USDA Rural Development announces its Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 subject to the availability of funding. This notice is being issued prior to passage of a final appropriations act to allow potential applicants time to submit proposals and give the Agency time to process applications within the current fiscal year. USDA Rural Development will publish a subsequent notice identifying the amount received in the final appropriations act, if any. Expenses incurred in developing applications will be at the applicant's risk. For FY 2008, Congress appropriated approximately $30 million. In addition to announcing the application window, the Agency announces the minimum and maximum amounts for DLT grants applicable for the fiscal year. Finally, the Agency notes that the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, in order to clearly establish that libraries are eligible to be recipients of DLT Loans and Grants, expressly added the category of libraries under Sec. 2333 (c)(1) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. Sec. 950aaa- 2(a)(1)). This confirms longstanding Agency policy of considering libraries to be eligible entities under the DLT Program.