The Acadiana region is set to receive nearly 30-million dollars from the U-S Department of Commerce to expand high-speed internet. Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves says the grant money comes from the Broadband Infrastructure Program.
“These funds are really the first downpayment on the ability to invest, so that every family, every household, every community in Louisiana has access to affordable, quality, high-speed broadband,” said Graves.
Graves says these dollars will bring broadband to 22,000 unserved households across the region.
The pandemic has shown just how many families struggle with internet accessibility with many having to make difficult choices regarding work and school. Graves said the President has made solving this issue a priority, calling it an injustice.
“We know that 19% of households in Louisiana don’t have an internet subscription and more than 10-percent live in an area where there is no broadband infrastructure whatsoever,” said Graves.
Graves says ensuring access will create equity in schools and workplaces, and keep America at the forefront of innovation.
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