PURPOSES; INVESTIGATIONS AND REPORTS.

SEC. 771. PURPOSES; INVESTIGATIONS AND REPORTS. Section 2 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 902) is amended— (1) by striking “Sec. 2. (a) The Secretary of Agriculture is” and inserting the following: “SEC. 2. GENERAL AUTHORITY OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. “(a) Loans.— The Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this Act as the ‘Secretary’) is”; (2) in subsection (a)— (A) by striking “and the furnishing” the first place it appears and all that follows through “central station service”; and (B) by striking “systems; to make” and all that follows and inserting “systems.”; and (3) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following: “(b) Investigations and Reports.— The Secretary may make, or cause to be made, studies, investigations, and reports regarding matters, including financial, technological, and regulatory matters, affecting the condition and progress of electric, telecommunications, and economic development in rural areas, and publish and disseminate information with respect to the matters.”.