Louisiana has signed its next round of grant agreements with providers through BEAD’s Benefit of the Bargain initiative, marking the state’s largest set to date by number of locations covered.
The new agreements build on last month’s announcement that Louisiana was the first state in the country to sign BEAD grant agreements with internet service providers. This latest round covers 76,045 locations statewide and will be delivered by a mix of local and national providers: Cajun Broadband, Conexon, REV and Swyft Fiber.
These agreements build on Louisiana’s ongoing progress expanding broadband access across the state. Currently, 93% of Louisiana households and businesses are served, and the state remains on pace to achieve statewide high-speed internet access by 2028, two years ahead of the federal 2030 goal.
In November, Louisiana became the first state in the nation to receive federal approval of its final Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) proposal, clearing the way to deploy $1.36 billion in federal broadband funding. That approval positioned Louisiana to move quickly from planning to execution and begin delivering BEAD-funded projects on the ground.
These projects are expected to break ground in the coming weeks as Louisiana continues working to close the digital divide and expand high-speed internet access statewide.
Learn more about the GUMBO 2.0 program
The Louisiana Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity (ConnectLA) leads the state’s efforts to expand high-speed internet access and close the digital divide. Housed within the Louisiana Division of Administration, ConnectLA works across federal, state and local partners to identify and implement strategies that ensure every resident can benefit from reliable broadband connectivity.
