Louisiana

On May 1, 2026, Nextlink Internet activated the first tower in the nation funded by the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The site is located in southern Bienville Parish (LA), bringing service to 104 BEAD locations in Bossier Parish. It is delivering up to gigabit-speed internet to homes and businesses across northwest Louisiana via fixed wireless infrastructure.

Louisiana has become the first state in the nation to complete National Environmental Policy Act approvals for Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment projects, clearing a major federal hurdle and advancing the state's effort to move broadband funding into active construction. Louisiana's BEAD providers are not only the first in the country to receive NEPA approvals but also the first positioned to formally begin construction, marking a significant shift from planning to execution.

ConnectLA joined the Bossier Parish (LA) community to celebrate a broadband expansion project bringing reliable, high-speed internet to hundreds of locations across the parish. Supported by Louisiana's Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities 1.0 program and delivered by Optimum, the project provides access to 686 households and 58 businesses throughout Bossier Parish, enhancing digital infrastructure in communities that previously lacked dependable connectivity.

State and local leaders joined ConnectLA in Woodworth (LA) to mark the completion of a broadband expansion project bringing high-speed internet access to hundreds of households and businesses in Rapides Parish. Provided by Optimum, the project connects 865 households and 68 businesses in areas that previously lacked dependable service.

Louisiana state and local leaders joined ConnectLA, community stakeholders, and internet service provider Swyft Fiber to mark the completion of a broadband expansion project bringing reliable, high-speed internet to communities across West Feliciana Parish. The project delivers access to 1,423 households and 89 businesses, expanding service in areas that previously lacked dependable connectivity.

State and local leaders joined the Louisiana Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity (ConnectLA) , community stakeholders and Optimum—a local provider of fiber internet, mobile and TV services—to mark the completion of a broadband expansion project delivering reliable, high-speed internet access across Sabine Parish, Louisiana. The project brings connectivity to more than 3,000 homes and businesses, expanding access in areas that previously faced limited or unreliable service.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) doesn’t appear to have made major changes to states’ award recommendations in the Benefit of the Bargain round in the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program—at least not based on analysis of NTIA award approvals for several states. NTIA made relatively small changes to the award recommendations that Louisiana and Maine submitted in the Benefit of the Bargain round. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is not making any changes to awardee lists that have been approved by NTIA.

Louisiana state and local leaders joined ConnectLA, community members, and Optimum at Jonesboro-Hodge Elementary School to celebrate a broadband expansion project bringing reliable, high-speed fiber internet to communities across Jackson Parish. The project has expanded broadband availability to over 2,000 homes and businesses, strengthening digital infrastructure in areas that previously lacked dependable connectivity and supporting greater access to education, healthcare, workforce participation, and economic opportunity.

A major broadband expansion project is bringing high-speed internet access to thousands of locations across Concordia Parish (LA), strengthening the parish’s economic foundation and positioning it for long-term growth. Delivered by Swyft Fiber, the project makes reliable broadband service available to 3,697 households and 725 businesses throughout the parish, expanding digital infrastructure in communities that previously lacked dependable connectivity.

After several years serving as Deputy Director of Louisiana’s Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity, I’m stepping away to begin a new chapter. I won’t pretend there’s a dramatic exit story here; the truth is simpler. I came into this work believing that connectivity is infrastructure in the most fundamental sense. Roads and bridges move people and goods. Broadband moves opportunity. When Louisiana had the chance to pioneer a new model for closing the digital divide, the stakes couldn’t have been clearer.