The federal government gives the final okay for the state to receive funding for the deployment of broadband statewide. Veneeth Iyengar, the executive director of Connect LA, says Louisiana is the first state to secure federal approval of broadband funds.
“We’ve been recognized nationally for having the best policies when it comes to the development of broadband policies, but also on the execution side of our federal funds,” Iyengar said.
Iyengar says the state awarded contracts to several companies, including several based in Louisiana, to build the broadband infrastructure in a robust way.
“More than 90% of this infrastructure is going to be buried. That is critically important, from the Governor’s perspective, as we address the issues of resilience, not just below I-10, but also in areas in rural Louisiana and north Louisiana,” Iyengar explained.
Iyengar says construction will begin very soon, and that people across the state should be connected by the end of summer.
“One company, Pelican Broadband, indicated that they not only will they see shovels in the ground in the first 90-to-100 days, but they’ve also indicated that people will start to get connected sometime in July and August of this year,” Iyengar said.
This funding is through the state’s GUMBO 2.0 program, which will connect about 140-thousand locations across the state by way of 20 internet service providers, most of which are based in Louisiana.
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