Vice President Harris, Commerce Deputy Secretary Graves Travel to Louisiana to Highlight Historic Broadband Investments

Vice President Kamala Harris and Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves traveled to Sunset (LA) to hear directly from Louisianans about the struggles they face due to the stark digital divide and lack of access to fast, affordable, and reliable broadband. In an effort to reach President Biden’s ambitious goal and ensure that all Americans, including those living in Louisiana, have access to broadband, the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced in February 2022 that it has awarded $29.9 million to expand broadband in the Acadiana region, including Acadia Parish, Evangeline Parish, and St Landry Parish (LA). The award will be used to fund the Acadiana Regional Public/Private Partnership project, which will fund last-mile broadband deployment to the Acadiana region of Louisiana and serve 22,196 households. Including the grants provided to Louisiana, the Department of Commerce previously awarded a total of 13 grants as part of the Broadband Infrastructure Program. These grants, totaling more than $277 million, will be used to connect more than 133,000 unserved households in Georgia, Guam, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia.