23 August 2024

Louisiana Open for BEAD Funding Applications

Louisiana has commenced accepting applications for rural broadband funding under the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. A total of 33 providers, including major tier 1 carriers such as Charter, Brightspeed, Cox, Att, Comcast, and various smaller internet service providers, have been authorized to participate in this funding round. The deadline for applications is August 29.

As the first state to receive its BEAD funding allocation, Louisiana has been granted over $1.3 billion from the U.S. Government run program. This substantial sum tax payer dollars is intended to subsidize the costs associated with expanding broadband internet to underserved and unserved areas throughout the state.

Continuing its tradition, Louisiana will utilize the GUMBO moniker for this initiative—the same name employed for previous rural broadband funding sourced from the federal Capital Projects Fund. The BEAD-supported program will be designated as GUMBO 2.0.

This development follows closely on the heels of Montana’s announcement, which marks the state’s pioneering acceptance of BEAD Funds applications.

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Louisiana BEAD Pre-Qualified Applicants

Approximately 140,000 locations in Louisiana are eligible for BEAD funding. The state plans to distribute this funding in two distinct phases.

Qualified applicants will submit bids based on sub-project areas (SPAs) or clusters of SPAs, with each SPA encompassing roughly 800 eligible locations.

Only companies that have been pre-qualified for this phase of the GUMBO program may apply for funding. The comprehensive list of pre-qualified companies is as follows:

  • A2D Inc
  • Acadiana Broadband
  • Allen’s Communications
  • AT&T
  • AOP
  • Brightspeed
  • Broadband Services
  • Cajun Broadband
  • Charter
  • ClearPath Fiber
  • Comcast Cable Communications LLC
  • Conexon Connect LLC
  • Coushatta Tribe of LA
  • Cox Communications
  • Direct Communications
  • Faster Cajun Networks
  • FastWyre
  • IBT Group USA LLC
  • Kaptel
  • Lake Bruin Wireless LLC
  • LiveOak Fiber
  • Louisiana Local Fiber Consortium
  • LUS Fiber
  • Lyte Fiber LLC
  • Nextlink
  • Pelican Broadband
  • PhireLink
  • Ritter Communications
  • SkyRider Communications LLC
  • SpaceX
  • Trinity Communications
  • Vexus Fiber
  • Volt Broadband LLC

In a statement, Veneeth Iyengar, Executive Director of Louisiana’s Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity, expressed confidence that the BEAD funding will bridge the digital divide across the state within the coming years.

For further information on Louisiana’s broadband initiatives, including details on state funding resources, previous awards, keep up with our blog, or reach out to Louisiana’s office of broadband development and connectivity

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