# New Equipment Contract, RUS Contract Form 395 for Telecommunications and Broadband Borrowers
> **Rural Utilities Service** · Final rule. · Published 2016-10-18 · Effective 2016-10-18 · 81 FR 71579
## Document
- **Document number:** 2016-24945
- **Category:** rural-development
- **Sub-agency:** Rural Utilities Service
- **Federal Register citation:** 81 FR 71579
- **CFR reference:** 7 CFR 1753
- **Publication date:** 2016-10-18
- **Effective date:** 2016-10-18
## Abstract

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), hereinafter referred to as RUS or the Agency, is issuing a final rule to streamline the contractual process for equipment procurement by replacing type-specific equipment contracts, RUS Forms 397, 398, 525, 545, and associated documents (Forms 231, 396, 396a, 517, 525a, 744, 752a, 754, and addenda) with a new, unified Equipment Contract, RUS Contract Form 395 and associated close-out documents (Forms 395a, 395b, 395c and 395d) and by removing construction standards RUS Forms 397b, 397c, 397d, 397f, 397g, 397h. On October 1, 2015, RUS published a Request for Comments in the Federal Register, to establish a new equipment contract and associated policies for Telecommunications and Broadband Borrowers, Equipment Contract, RUS Contract Form 395 (RUS Contract Form 395).

## Source
- [Federal Register document](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/10/18/2016-24945/new-equipment-contract-rus-contract-form-395-for-telecommunications-and-broadband-borrowers)
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