Skip to main content
Find a Lawyer

Code of Federal Regulations Title 7. Agriculture § 7.1737.31 Area Coverage Survey (ACS)

Current as of January 02, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(a) The Area Coverage Survey (ACS) is a market forecast of service requirements of subscribers in a proposed service area.

(b) The objective of the ACS is to determine the location, number and telephone service requirements of subscribers in a service area. RUS will use the ACS to appraise the proposed plan for area coverage and to determine the largest practical number of rural subscribers which can be served on an economically feasible basis. Preparation of the ACS requires:

(1) A field survey of the service area to locate and identify on maps all business and residential establishments, whether currently served or not. The location and identification of future establishments are also recorded on the maps.

(2) A forecast of the number of telephone subscribers, in the entire service area, by exchange, grade and class of service, projected for the end of the 5–year study period.

(c) The results of the survey and forecast shall be:

(1) Shown on maps (maps for those service areas previously financed by RUS do not have to be included in the ACS provided that the borrower's records contain sufficient information as to subscriber development to enable cost estimates for the proposed facilities to be prepared);

(2) Tabulated on RUS Form 569 “Area Coverage Survey Report,” or its equivalent;  and

(3) Supported by a narrative (see § 1737.32(f)(1)(ii)) containing information on the bases for the service requirement forecasts in each exchange.

(d) Guidelines on preparing an ACS are provided in RUS Telecommunications Engineering and Construction Manual section 205.

(e) The RUS field representative reviews and approves the borrower's ACS. The borrower should make sure this is done before proceeding with the Loan Design in order to prevent unnecessary expense should the ACS not be approved. The borrower's engineer must use the RUS-approved ACS in preparing the Loan Design.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0572–0079)

Previous Part of Code Next Part of Code
Back to Chapter List

Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Code of Federal Regulations Title 7. Agriculture § 7.1737.31 Area Coverage Survey (ACS) - last updated January 02, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/cfr/title-7-agriculture/cfr-sect-7-1737-31/

FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature before relying on it for your legal needs.

Was this helpful?

Welcome to FindLaw's Cases & Codes

A free source of state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. For more information about the legal concepts addressed by these cases and statutes, visit FindLaw’s Learn About the Law.

Go to Learn About the Law

Latest Blog Posts

For Legal Professionals

Learn About The Law

Get help with your legal needs

FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.

Go to Learn About the Law

Need to Find an Attorney?

Search our directory by legal issue

Enter information in one or both fields (Required)

Copied to clipboard