“Be like Louisiana,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson after the state became the first in the nation to receive full approval of its Initial Proposal for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program.
Volume 2 of the proposal was approved this month, while Vol. 1 was approved in September. This milestone means that Louisiana can move from the planning phase to the implementation phase and begin accessing the $1.355 billion allocation to expand broadband networks throughout the state.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a press release, “Louisiana is taking a major step toward ensuring that no one in the state is held back by a lack of Internet access. I congratulate Governor Edwards and the team at ConnectLA on this terrific achievement for Louisiana’s workers, businesses, communities, and families.”
Gov. John Bel Edwards said, “We will start executing shovel-ready projects in 2024 under the BEAD program.”
