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Connect LA: state says broadband builds have cut unconnected addresses from 424,619 to 127,108; $1.36B in infrastructure money remains under federal review
Summary
Connect LA reported a rapid reduction in unconnected Louisiana addresses and outlined how $1.36 billion of federal infrastructure money will target the hardest‑to‑serve areas; Commerce's June policy notice forced a rebid and resubmission that changed planned allocations.
Vineeth Angar, executive director of the state's broadband office (Connect LA), told the joint BESE and Board of Regents meeting that the state has made substantial progress closing the digital divide.
"When I started the office in 2021, 424,619 unique addresses in Louisiana did not have access to high speed affordable Internet," Angar said. He reported that by 2024 Connect LA’s work and private‑sector builds had reduced that number to about 127,108, moving statewide service coverage from roughly 83% to 93%.
Angar credited a mix of private investment, federal mapping improvements and federal grants: "Because of the free market and because of competition and because of companies like AT&T and others using private capital to build, you also have federally funded projects from the FCC, from US Treasury, and from Commerce that are now funding a lot of the CapEx for companies to build." He said state planners expect to reach universal service in many areas by 2028 or sooner at current build rates, and emphasized a resilience preference: more than 80% of new infrastructure awarded is expected to be buried fiber.
Angar also described a major federal process change: a June 6 policy notice from the U.S. Department of Commerce required the state to rebid its initial allocations. "We were given a notice on June 6 that you have to start all over. You have to rebid everything," Angar said. Connect LA resubmitted a revised plan on Aug. 15; that work, he said, resulted in more efficient awards and increased the set of funds the state could obligate from a planned ~$550 million to about $835 million.
Angar said the governor directed staff to draft guidance for Commerce about how remaining dollars should be used, with a focus on economic development, workforce and education priorities. For the most remote 10,000 locations he said the state expects to provide Starlink equipment as a practical last‑mile solution where buried fiber is not cost‑effective.
The broadband update prompted board members to ask about whether funds could be used to rebury existing aerial infrastructure; Angar said federal rules generally restrict funding to new infrastructure in areas without an existing federal attachment, meaning reburying legacy aerial networks is not typically eligible under the current programs.
