The U.S. Agriculture Department should assess any Rural...
The U.S. Agriculture Department should assess any Rural Utilities Service loans for risk of “rescission or default,” the GAO said in a report released Monday. It should also “align the goals in its [Annual Performance Report], to the loan program’s…
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purpose, to the extent feasible,” GAO recommended. USDA told GAO it will try to “fully implement” these recommendations. “RUS loans can help promote limited broadband deployment and economic development, but USDA’s performance goals do not fully align with the loan program’s purpose,” GAO said in the 60-page report (http://1.usa.gov/1jJRH2P). “According to GAO analysis of National Broadband Map deployment data as of June 2013, areas with RUS loans generally have the same number of broadband providers as areas without a loan. However, the RUS loan program can enhance the quality and reach of broadband networks in rural areas, according to stakeholders.”