Rural Broadband Access Loans and Loan Guarantees Program

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) 2015 for the Rural Broadband Access Loan and Loan Guarantee program (the Broadband Program). RUS has published on its Web site http://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/notices- solicitation-applications-nosas the amount of funding received through the final appropriations act. In addition to announcing the application window, RUS announces the minimum and maximum amounts for broadband loans for FY 2015. Moreover, the Agency is concurrently publishing a proposed interim final rule that will revise the current Broadband Program regulations at 7 CFR part 1738, as necessitated by Pubic Law 113-79, the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill).