March 7, 2003
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LOCAL Television Loan Guarantee Board Launches Website

The LOCAL Television Loan Guarantee Board (Board) today announced the launch of its website for public access, which can be found at http://www.usda.gov/.  The website will be updated as new information is available.

The "Launching Our Communities' Access to Local Television Act of 2000," Pub. L. 106-553, established a LOCAL Television Loan Guarantee Program to facilitate access, on a technologically neutral basis, to signals of local television stations for households located in nonserved areas and underserved areas.  The Board was established to approve loan guarantees for the LOCAL TV Program of up to 80% of the total loan amount for no more than $1.25 billion. 

The Board consists of designees of the Secretaries of the Treasury, Agriculture, Commerce, and the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.  The designees are Treasury Assistant Secretary for Financial Markets and Board Chairman Brian Roseboro; Agriculture Administrator Rural Utilities Service Hilda Gay Legg; Commerce Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and Administrator, National Telecommunications and Information Administration Nancy Victory; and Federal Reserve System Governor Edward M. Gramlich.