A deferment of principal and/or interest payments which will continue the original purpose of the loan may be approved subject to the conditions set forth in this section.

(a) Principal-only deferrals. In order to request a principal deferral, the Borrower must make a showing that at the end of the deferment period the Borrower's financial position has improved and the Borrower is able to make full principal and interest payments, curing any delinquency or projected delinquency. Deferments of principal will be limited to no more than 36 months. Additionally, the following requirements must be met, as determined by RUS:

(1) Any management deficiencies identified by RUS have been corrected or the Borrower has submitted a plan acceptable to RUS to correct any deficiencies;

(2) The Borrower has presented a budget which clearly indicates that it is able to meet the new proposed payment schedule and after the end of the deferral period is able to resume making full principal and interest payments while maintaining a positive cashflow position;

(3) Unless authorized by prior RUS written consent, the Borrower will only use funds otherwise due and payable under the RUS Note for the benefit of the broadband system. Such expenditures include, but are not limited to, costs to complete any necessary construction of the Project, costs to connect additional subscribers, marketing and sales costs, and other such costs that are necessary to maximize the value of the broadband system; and

(4) The Borrower will comply with such other conditions as may be imposed by the Agency on a case-by-cases basis, as determined by RUS.

(b) Principal and interest deferrals. A principal and interest deferral shall only be approved when the Borrower has demonstrated that it is the only option for the Agency to avoid foreclosure and is in the best interest of the Government to avoid a substantial loss to the Government. Additionally, principal and interest deferrals may be approved if the Borrower and RUS have agreed to a public sale of the broadband system and such a deferral is needed to provide time to complete the sale of the broadband system. Principal and interest deferrals will be limited to no more than 24 months, unless extended by the Agency for good cause and full cooperation of the Borrower. Additionally, the following requirements must be met, as determined by RUS:

(1) The Borrower has cooperated with RUS in exploring alternative servicing options and has acted in good faith with regard to eliminating the delinquency and complying with its Loan Documents and Agency regulations;

(2) Any management deficiencies identified by RUS have been corrected or the Borrower has submitted a plan acceptable to RUS to correct any deficiencies; and

(3) Unless authorized by prior RUS written consent, the Borrower will only use funds otherwise due and payable under the RUS Note for the benefit of the broadband system. Such expenditures include, but are not limited to, costs to execute a sale of the broadband system, costs to complete any necessary construction of the Project, costs to connect additional subscribers, marketing and sales costs, and other such costs that are necessary to maximize the value of the broadband system for an eventual sale;

(4) In cases when the Borrower and RUS have agreed to a public sale of the broadband system, the Borrower agrees that within 30 days of the execution of the deferral agreement, the Borrower will develop a process and timeline for the sale of the broadband system, in form and substance satisfactory to RUS, and will continually execute on those plans in order to effectuate a public sale of the broadband system; and

(5) The Borrower will comply with such other conditions as may be imposed by the Agency on a case-by-cases basis, as determined by RUS.