Notice of Request for Extension of a Currently Approved Information Collection.

The objective of the RBEG program is to facilitate the development of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas. This purpose is achieved through grants made by RBS to public bodies and nonprofit corporations. Television Demonstration grants are available to private nonprofit public television systems to provide information on agriculture and other issues of importance to farmers and the rural residents. The regulation contains various requirements for information from the grantees, and some requirements may cause the grantees to require information from other parties. The information requested is vital for RBS to be able to process applications in a responsible manner, make prudent program decisions, and effectively monitor the grantees’ activities to protect the Government’s financial interest and ensure that funds obtained from the Government are used appropriately. It includes information to determine eligibility; the specific purpose for which grant funds will be used; timeframes; who will be carrying out the grant purposes; project priority; applicant experience; employment improvement; and mitigation of economic distress.