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Monroe council approves citywide AT&T fiber deal promising 100% coverage and lower-cost plans
Summary
The Monroe City Council approved a fiber construction agreement with AT&T that company officials said aims to reach 100% of residents and businesses, offering competitive plans and promising local job impacts; council members urged attention to affordability and network resiliency.
The Monroe City Council on July 23 approved a Fiber Construction Agreement with AT&T Services, Inc., a deal city and company officials said is intended to deliver fiber-to-the-home service to all residents and businesses across Monroe.
David Aubrey, president of AT&T Louisiana and Mississippi, told the council the company would pursue a collaborative buildout covering the North and South sides of the city and that offered plans would be competitive, citing options “as low as $30 that would give a hundred megabits of speed.” The council approved Resolution No. 8751 unanimously.
Mayor Ellis framed the project as a pandemic-era imperative, saying reliable broadband is essential for telehealth and education and calling the initiative a model public–private partnership emphasizing “affordability [and] equity.” Chairman Juanita G. Woods said the council would not allow federal funds allocated for the project to go unused, stressing the city’s interest in moving “the City forward.”
Public commenters offered both praise and caution. Kenya Roberson of the Northeast Louisiana Black Chamber of Commerce expressed support and said AT&T had engaged the local business and youth communities. Christopher Orange Sr., a resident, urged the city to require failover and redundancy provisions after citing past local service disruptions, warning that single-network failures can leave businesses and households offline.
City leaders and AT&T did not provide a detailed project timeline, nor did they specify final pricing for advertised speeds beyond the example cited by Aubrey. Council members asked that the company prioritize equitable deployment to South Monroe and stressed oversight on performance and affordability once construction begins.
The next procedural step is implementation under the terms of Resolution No. 8751 and subsequent project agreements; the council did not place specific contract milestones in the public record during the meeting.
