Louisiana is the first state to receive approval for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) proposal to bring high-speed, affordable, and reliable internet to residents. State Broadband Office Director Veneeth Iyengar says this will give the state first access to key resources to eliminate the digital divide…
“We’ll be ahead of 49 other states in terms of having a leg up in securing access to labor, material, and investment capital. That’s important for Louisianans.”
The state can request access to more than 42 billion dollars from the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
Iyengar says ConnectLA was the first to be awarded grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. He says the state’s plan stressed the importance of high-quality resilient infrastructure.
“Given that we live in natural disasters that are becoming more and more common. So you got tornadoes and ice storms in North Louisiana and hurricanes in South and floods. It’s really important for our telecommunications and infrastructure systems to remain operational in times of crisis.”
The Biden-Harris Administration “Internet for All” – Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes a 65 billion dollar investment to closing the digital divide in communities throughout the U-S. Iyengar expects the process to be finished the process before next year. He says the funds will also expand broadband access to businesses that lack adequate internet.
“The impact is going to be felt not only with households but also small businesses and also communities. There are hospitals that lack access to high-speed internet, schools, and so on and so forth. So this will help solve that problem.”
The state hopes to wipe out the digital divide by 2029.
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