American Rescue Plan and Broadband
In March 2021, Congress approved $1.9 trillion under the American Rescue Plan Act (“Act”), which included emergency funding to respond to the pandemic and its… Read More »American Rescue Plan and Broadband
In March 2021, Congress approved $1.9 trillion under the American Rescue Plan Act (“Act”), which included emergency funding to respond to the pandemic and its… Read More »American Rescue Plan and Broadband
One of the initial questions for a group forming a cooperative in Georgia is whether the cooperative should be legally organized in Georgia or in… Read More »Where Should We Organize Our Cooperative?
Mergers of electric cooperatives are nothing new. Over the years, several mergers have occurred, mostly for the purpose of consolidating business functions and generating savings for members. For example, currently DS&O Electric Cooperative and Rolling Hills Electric Cooperative, both located in Kansas, are considering a merger. Such mergers often do not result in decreases in electric rates, because cooperatives typically already have long-term arrangements in place with their G&T or with third-party suppliers. Savings are most often achieved in the areas of human resources, IT, insurance, accounting, and legal fees. On the basis of such savings, as demonstrated by extensive studies and a 10-year financial forecast, two cooperatives in Texas – Humboldt County REC and Midland Power Cooperative – recently decided to seek approval of merger from their members. Of course any proposed merger must take into account complex issues such as tax considerations, regulatory issues, member relations, the effect on employees, management and the Boards of Directors, and financing and credit.Read More »Electric and Telecom Cooperative Mergers
he USDA announced on March 10, 2011, that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is now accepting applications for broadband loans under the Broadband Loan Program. Although a final appropriations act has not yet been passed, RUS issued the notice now to give applicants time to submit proposals and allow RUS time to process applications within the current fiscal year.