Gov Landry Announces Historic $1. 355 Billion in Broadband Awards to Eliminate Louisiana's Digital Divide

Louisiana is the first state in the nation to award federal Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding through the state’s GUMBO 2.0 program. The state will deploy $1.355 billion in total through these awards to support broadband access throughout the state. GUMBO 2.0 will expand fiber optic connectivity to approximately 140,000 locations across the state, supporting 100,000 households, 35,000 small businesses and 4,000 community anchor institutions such as public safety locations, schools and hospitals. These broadband investments will drive significant economic growth for the state, creating 8,000 to 10,000 new jobs and $2 to $3 billion in new revenue for Louisiana companies. Louisiana is also distributing over $500 million in GUMBO 2.0 non-deployment funds across state agencies, economic development organizations, academic institutions, healthcare associations and other organizations that will help address some of the state’s most pressing gaps in areas like education, workforce development, economic development, agriculture and healthcare. These investments, which include initiatives such as telehealth expansion and scaling digital K-12 programming, represent some of the most innovative uses of this funding in the country. The state’s Final Proposal is open for public comment from November 18th until Dec. 10, 2024. To submit a public comment, visit connect.la.gov/bead.