Conexon to launch first community broadband project in East Carroll, Louisiana

Conexon, which typically partners with rural electric cooperatives to launch broadband networks, is planning to deliver its first community broadband partnership project,] in East Carroll Parish, Louisiana. The company says it was selected by "a consortium of community organizations" to build and operate a fiber network across the parish that will connect approximately 1,500 homes and businesses. Chief among those organizations is Delta Interfaith, a community group working to close the digital divide in East Carroll. Delta Interfaith received a $50,000 grant from the non-profit impact fund Connect Humanity to support broadband deployment and digital education. That grant will be matched with funds raised by Delta Interfaith, according to Connect Humanity. But unlike in the other communities Conexon serves, there's no electric cooperative to partner with in East Carroll. Instead, the community will own the fiber infrastructure and lease it to Conexon to act as the operating arm.