Title 7

SECTION 1738.106

1738.106 Public notice.

§ 1738.106 Public notice.

(a) The Agency will publish a public notice of each application requesting assistance under this part. The application must provide a summary of the information required for such public notice including all of the following information:

(1) The identity of the Applicant;

(2) A map of each proposed funded service area showing the rural area boundaries and the areas without broadband service using the Agency's mapping tool;

(3) The amount and type of support requested;

(4) The estimated number of households in each proposed funded service area without broadband service, excluding mobile and satellite service; and

(5) A description of all the types of services that the Applicant proposes to offer in each proposed funded service area.

(b) The public notice will remain available for 45 calendar days on the Agency's website, and will request existing service providers to submit to the Agency, within the same period, the following information:

(1) The number of residential and business customers within the Applicant's proposed funded service area that are currently offered, and that are purchasing, broadband service by the existing service provider, and the cost of each level of broadband service charged by the existing service provider;

(2) The number of residential and business customers within the Applicant's proposed funded service area that receive non-broadband services from the existing service provider, and the associated rates for these other services; and

(3) A map showing where the existing service provider's services coincide with the Applicant's proposed funded service area using the Agency's mapping tool.

(c) For purposes of 5 U.S.C. 552, information received from existing service providers under paragraph (b) of this section shall be exempt from disclosure.

(d) If an application is approved, an additional notice will be published on the Agency's website that will include the following information:

(1) The name of the entity receiving the financial assistance;

(2) The amount and type of assistance being received;

(3) The purpose of the assistance; and

(4) Each annual report submitted under § 1738.107, redacted as appropriate to protect any proprietary information in the report.

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