ConexonConnect First in the U.S. to Receive $9 Million in BEAD

If execution stays on track, service launches are expected to begin rolling out through 2026, starting with Concordia Parish and expanding into Webster, Union, and surrounding areas. Translation for telecom veterans: fiber might actually reach customers before the next funding cycle gets announced — always a reassuring sign.

To Conexon’s credit, they’ve shown they can build, not just brief. Since launching their ISP arm in 2021, they’ve completed 13 fiber networks with electric cooperatives and community partners, with seven more expected online by the end of 2026. Their East Carroll Parish deployment alone brought multi-gigabit fiber access to more than 1,500 homes and businesses, which in rural broadband terms qualifies as “measurable progress” rather than “future roadmap.”

So yes — the funding faucet is finally turning. Slowly, cautiously, and with the familiar hum of compliance paperwork still in the background. But for rural communities waiting on reliable connectivity, fiber in the ground beats another year of federal broadband optimism every time.