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1. Application Requests - Requests
for acceptance of a product should
be emailed to:
Norberto Esteves
Chairman, Technical Standards
Committee "A" (Telecommunications)
1400 Independence Ave. SW
Room 2849-S, STOP 1550
Washington, DC 20250-1550
The request needs to be made and signed by an authorized employee of the actual manufacturer of the product. The request needs to include the following information:
a. Identify the product by specific model or catalog number;
b. State that the product is in full production; and
c. The plant address where the product is produced, contact information, and contact person.
2. Product Description and Support - Include sales brochures, general descriptions of the product, warranty, return and repair policies, price lists, operator and installation manuals, etc. See product specific acceptance procedures for detailed description requirements.
3. Conformance to Standards and Performance Test Data:
a. For a product covered by a RD Telecommunications Program specification the manufacturer needs to certify that the product complies with all applicable paragraphs of such specification. See the product specific acceptance procedures for specifications for which the RD Telecommunications Program expects compliance for specific products.
b. When a RD Telecommunications Program specification does not cover the product, the manufacturer should list all appropriate nationally recognized standards and the issue dates of such documents that the product complies with.
c. All products must be performance tested for its advertised capabilities and for compliance with applicable RD Telecommunications Program or industry specifications prior to submittal for RD Telecommunications Program acceptance. The test results must be submitted, specifically those that warrants your product performance claims.
4. RD Buy American - For each product application submitted for RD Telecommunications Program product acceptance as a domestic product, the manufacturer must include a signed certification by an authorized company representative stating that the product, as sold to RD Telecommunications borrowers, complies with the following two domestic origin manufacture provisions:
a. Final assembly or manufacture of the product, as the product would be used by an Telecommunications Program borrower, is completed in the United States or eligible countries (currently, Mexico, Canada and Israel); and
b. The cost of United States and eligible countries' components (in any combination) within the product is more than 50 percent of the total cost of all components (articles, materials or supplies directed incorporated in the product) utilized in the product. The cost of non-domestic components (components not manufactured within the United States or eligible countries) which are included in the finished product must include all duties, taxes, and delivery charges to the point of assembly or manufacture.
For products no meeting the two domestic origin manufacture provisions shown above the applicant should request “Technical Acceptance” of products of non-domestic origin manufacture.
Please note that manufacturers certifying domestic origin for a product, as sold to RD Telecommunications borrowers, comply with the Agency "Buy American" requirement as a domestic product. However, there may be particular cases where a product configuration (or for other unique factors) that may cause the product to become non-domestic. When this is the case, the manufacturer shall inform the borrower that for this particular sale the product is non-domestic. Manufacturers are responsible to inform product distributors or re-sellers of the particular circumstances that would make their product non-domestic or to have an internal procedure in place as to ensure that the borrower is informed when the product has become non-domestic.
In other cases for a system that the manufacturer has certified as meeting the RD "Buy American" requirement as a domestic product, a system component (hereafter in the paragraph called the "product") may stand alone as a “product” that when sold by itself it may be a non-domestic “product.” When this is the case, the manufacturer must also inform the borrower that the "product" is non-domestic. The “product” may be financed by RD Telecommunications upon the “product” meeting the RD "Buy American" requirement as a non-domestic product.
Products accepted by the Agency are included in the “List of Acceptable Materials” (http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/materials/index_listomat.htm ) for information purposes.
The following documents have more information on RD "Buy American" requirement:
a. IP 100-1, Rural Electrification Act of 1936, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 901-950b (as of 1/23/2004), available at http://www.usda.gov/rus/index2/rusregs.htm ;
b. RUS Bulletin 344-3, "Buy American Requirement", available at http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/publications/bulletins.htm ; and
c. Buy American Federal Register Notices available at http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/publications/publications.htm .
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