Thirteen broadband providers in Louisiana will share $342.2 million in federal dollars meant to promote high-speed internet access in areas where it’s not currently available, reported The Center Square.
The investment comes through the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and will expand access to nearly 176,000 unserved homes and businesses over the next 10 years.
The announcement includes more than $33 million for Louisiana’s 3rd District, impacting nearly 20,000 homes and businesses, stated a news release from U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Port Barre.
Funding by parish includes: Acadia Parish - $4,666,219; Calcasieu Parish - $4,612,805; Cameron Parish - $881,896; Iberia Parish - $821,790; Jeff Davis Parish - $10,242,111; Lafayette Parish - $422,720; St. Landry Parish – $6,961,720; St. Martin Parish - $1,237,039; St. Mary Parish - $1,859,845; and Vermilion Parish - $1,304,399.
“Access to high-speed broadband service has become critical for everyday life. These investments provide much-needed support and help lessen connectivity gaps in Louisiana’s rural communities. We support those efforts and will continue working to expand reliable and high-quality broadband access throughout Louisiana,” Higgins stated in the news release.
In a separate news release, U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson stated, “Addressing the digital divide has long been one of our country’s most pressing and difficult challenges, and it is critical that we get our rural communities covered. The pandemic has shown us that now, more than ever, Louisianians must have access to the e-commerce marketplace, telehealth visits, online education opportunities, and all of the other benefits that come with increased connectivity. This latest federal investment for expanded broadband in our rural areas is a strong step in the right direction,” said Johnson.
Mike Strain, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry commissioner, announced that the federal government is investing $12 million to provide broadband service to Avoyelles, Concordia, Evangeline, Pointe Coupee and Rapides parishes. The plan is to connect 3,857 rural homes, 69 businesses, 149 farms, five schools and two community facilities - a health care service and a fire station.
“Broadband connectivity has been something our rural communities have needed for quite some time. In my past meetings with White House officials on infrastructure challenges in rural communities, we’ve discussed the importance of rural America’s need for better access to technology. Investing in broadband service in underserved areas will allow for a better quality of life for our rural communities,” said Strain.
The program is meant to subsidize development of internet infrastructure in areas where there aren’t enough potential customers to otherwise justify the investment.
A total of $9.2 billion was doled out nationwide to 180 bidders, the Federal Communications Commission says. Providers must meet periodic buildout requirements that will require them to reach all assigned locations within six years.
“We aimed for maximum leverage of taxpayer dollars and for networks that would meet consumers’ increasing broadband needs, and the results show that our strategy worked,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a prepared statement. “This auction was the single largest step ever taken to bridge the digital divide and is another key success for the Commission in its ongoing commitment to universal service.”
Segnem Egere Consortium bid $142.4 million to serve 22 parishes, the most of any of the Louisiana winners. Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium qualified for $113.7 million of support to invest in 22 parishes.
Space Exploration Technologies, led by SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, received $26.6 million to invest in 57 parishes.
The bidders competed in a “reverse auction” format, stating in each round whether they would be able to provide service in a given area for a given amount. The auction was open to new providers and prioritized the ability to offer higher speeds.
The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund is a $20.4 billion fund designed to close the digital divide by funding high-speed broadband network deployment in underserved rural areas in the United States, according to a summary from U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, which has jurisdiction over the FCC.
The FCC set aside $16 billion for Phase I of the auction, of which $9.2 billion was allocated. The remaining $6.8 billion will roll over into the future Phase II auction, which can now have a budget of $11.2 billion to target those areas that did not receive funding in the first phase as well as partially served areas, Kennedy said.
“Louisianians without broadband access deserve the same educational and work opportunities that Americans who have high-speed internet already enjoy,” Kennedy said. “The pandemic has made it more urgent than ever to bridge the digital divide in underserved rural areas – telehealth, telework, and online classes demand broadband expansion.”
