§ 1738.203 - Notification of completeness.

§ 1738.203 Priority for approving loan applications.

(a) The Agency will compare and evaluate all applications that have been submitted for funding and deemed to be complete no less than twice a year, and shall give priority to applications in the following order (Note that for applications containing multiple proposed funded service areas, the percentage will be calculated combining all proposed funded service areas.):

(1) Applications in which no broadband service, as defined herein is available in the proposed funded service area;

(2) Applications in which at least 75 percent of households in the proposed funded service area have no broadband service;

(3) Applications in which at least 50 percent of households in the proposed funded service area have no broadband service;

(4) Applications in which at least 25 percent of households in the proposed funded service area have no broadband service; and

(5) Applications in which at least 25 percent of the customers in the proposed service area are commercial interests and predominately more households are proposed to be served than businesses.

(b) Once applications have been determined to be complete, they will be compared and prioritized according to the criteria listed in paragraph (a) above, and subject to available funding levels.

(c) If two or more applications are tied for a place in the processing queue, the application that promotes broadband adoption will be given priority over applications that do not promote broadband adoption.

(d) The Agency shall establish the National and State reserve levels in accordance with Title VI of the RE Act when feasible given the level of funds available for the program. In instances when funds in a particular area are insufficient to cover a loan request, priority will be given to applications for which funding is available

Notification of completeness.

If all proposed funded service areas in a loan or loan/grant combination application are eligible, the Agency will review the application for completeness. The completeness review will include an assessment of whether all required documents and information have been submitted and whether the information provided is of adequate quality to allow further analysis.

(a) If the application contains all documents and information required by this part and is sufficient, in form and substance acceptable to the Agency, the Agency will notify the Applicant, in writing, that the application is complete. A notification of completeness is not a commitment that assistance will be approved. By submitting an application, the Applicant acknowledges that no obligation to enter into an agreement exists until the actual Award documents have been executed.

(b) If the application is considered to be incomplete or inadequate, the Agency will notify the Applicant, in writing, with detailed information regarding the reasons the applications was found to be incomplete or inadequate.