Rural Utilities Service February 12, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), a Rural Development agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), hereinafter referred to as RUS or the Agency, is proposing to amend the telecommunications standards and specifications for material, equipment and construction regulations by streamlining and replacing Equipment Specific Contracts, RUS Forms 397, 398, 525, 545, and the associated documents (Forms 231, 396, 396a, 397b, 397c, 397d, 397f, 397g, 397h, 517, 525a, 744, 752a, 754, and addenda) with a new Equipment Contract, RUS Form 395 and the associated close-out documents (Forms 395a, 395b, 395c and 395d). The proposed rule includes conforming changes to reflect the use of the new contract, administrative updates, and addresses the discontinuance of the requirement for RUS borrowers to use the Informational Publication (I.P.) 344-2, ``List of Material Acceptable for Use on Telecommunications Systems of RUS Borrowers.'' The intended effect is to streamline the contractual process for RUS borrowers and expedite the approval process of equipment during the development of RUS funded construction projects.