Louisiana is receiving 176-million dollars to bring reliable internet service to rural areas. The governor’s office says it’s enough money to connect 88-thousand homes and businesses with high-speed internet. Executive Director of Louisiana Broadband and Connectivity Veneeth Iyengar says Louisiana is one of only four states to receive this money from the U.S. Department of Treasury.
“We are going to move aggressively to apply to build the relationships with the federal level, but once the money is received, work on disseminating that money to areas that need it the most,” said Iyengar.
Iyengar says the money will go to the state’s new GUMBO program, a grant program for internet providers who want to bring broadband service to rural areas.
“The recipients of that money are going to be Electric Co-ops that operate throughout the state that are uniquely positioned given their infrastructure to provide high-speed broadband in very rural areas in addition to internet service providers,” said Iyengar.
Iyengar says this money is coming from American Rescue Plan approved by Congress and they know more money will be coming from the historic infrastructure bill passed late last year.
“We’ll have the financial resources once and for all to solve this problem, such that every household, every business and every community will have access to high-speed affordable internet,” said Iyengar.
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