Louisiana state and local leaders gathered with Swyft Fiber at Oakdale City Hall to mark the completion of a broadband expansion project in Allen Parish (LA), bringing reliable, high-speed internet access to thousands of homes and businesses across the parish and supporting key local industries, including hospitality, energy, and agriculture. The project was delivered through the Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities 1.0 program and provides service to approximately 2,820 households and 178 businesses that previously lacked reliable access. The GUMBO 1.0 program is funded through the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund and administered by ConnectLA. 

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Satellite and Telecommunications (SAT) Streamlining Act, bipartisan legislation that aims to update the Federal Communications Commission’s application process and remove regulatory barriers and uncertainty that could threaten investments in the United States’ commercial satellite industry. The number of applications submitted to the FCC for satellites has dramatically increased, but outdated regulatory barriers have delayed processing those applications. The SAT Streamlining Act establishes a clear, one-year deadline for the FCC to make a decision on a license application. These changes would help expand broadband access to underserved areas and incentivize commercial satellite operators to base operations in the United States over foreign jurisdictions where satellite application processes may be less burdensome. The legislation also standardizes “market access” for foreign satellite systems operating in the United States by capping licenses at 15 years, aligning them with the 15-year approval term applied to U.S. companies.