Louisiana BEAD Winners: Let the Program Move Forward

Two rural fiber providers that won grants from the government’s flagship broadband expansion program are urging the Trump administration to allow the effort to move forward without major changes. Both ClearPath and SkyRider won grants in Louisiana, one of the states given the green light under the Biden administration, to deploy fiber in rural areas. ClearPath was slated to receive more than $34 million to connect 7,300 homes and businesses, and SkyRider won more than $5.8 million to reach 764 locations. The companies both began doing preparatory work after being selected, designing networks, getting the necessary historical and environmental permits, and lining up contractors and equipment. They were planning on signing grant agreements with the state on March 1, according to SkyRider CEO Brad Warden. ClearPath founder David Herring said that the costs of ramping up capacity to do prep work, both for his company and the contractors he and other providers are partnering with to do that work, have created a financial burden. “I’m laid out millions of dollars right now in planning,” Herring said. “Every minute of delay, every week of delay, I continue to lose value on the dollars that I’ve already deployed.”