Title 7 › Chapter CHAPTER 31— - RURAL ELECTRIFICATION AND TELEPHONE SERVICE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III— - RURAL ELECTRIC AND TELEPHONE DIRECT LOAN PROGRAMS › § 935
The Secretary can make insured loans for electric and telephone systems from the fund, up to the fund’s assets and any yearly dollar limits Congress sets. Congress may move extra cash in the fund to the Treasury. Those loans do not count against total government budget outlays. An "insured loan" here means a loan the Secretary makes, services, sells, and insures. For electric borrowers, the Secretary must offer 5% loans to qualifying applicants who meet three tests about higher-than-state-average revenue per kWh (120% for overall and for residential) and lower customer income than the state, and may also give 5% loans for severe hardship. Loans to serve urban areas are generally barred if the system has more than 17 customers per mile, except applicants with residential revenue over 15.0 cents/kWh get 5% loans for non-urban projects without some limits. Other electric loans use a market-based rate tied to municipal yields, may include a prepayment premium if chosen, are subject to a 7% cap in certain low-density or low-income cases, let borrowers pick terms up to 35 years (or shorter if the asset life is shorter), and the Secretary must offer a prepayment option. The Secretary cannot force eligible applicants to borrow elsewhere first. For telephone loans, the Secretary must make 5% loans to eligible applicants who have no more than 4 subscribers per mile, can cover interest with net margins equal to 100%–300% of interest needs, are part of an approved state telecommunications modernization plan, and have no more than 17 subscribers per mile in the loan area. The Secretary may waive the margin test for emergency restoration or severe hardship. If funds are not available, applicants may be treated under other loan programs or for loan guarantees. The Secretary may also make loans at the Government’s cost (not more than 7%) for applicants with up to 15 subscribers per mile or with margins of 100%–500%, with proportional allocation if funds are limited. A State plan must be approved within 1 year after final rules and must, among other things, end party lines, expand business/education/medical services, improve networks, provide conference calling, video, and data at 1,000,000 bits per second, ensure uniform deployment timing, and meet service standards; an approved plan cannot later be disapproved, and loans may be made in a State without an approved plan for up to 1 year after final rules.
Full Legal Text
Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
7 U.S.C. § 935
Title 7 — Agriculture
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73