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GUMBO 2.0 will bring fiber to more than 2,500 St. Martin Parish addresses, council hears
Summary
A parish presentation on GUMBO 2.0 — Louisiana's BEAD-backed broadband push — said a new round of funding will deliver fiber service to over 2,500 St. Martin Parish addresses; officials said improved communication aims to avoid problems from the first GUMBO round.
Bart Spell, identified as a damage-prevention coordinator with Royal, told the St. Martin Parish Council on June 2 that the Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities program (GUMBO 2.0), led by ConnectLA and backed by the federal BEAD program, will fund fiber projects to reach more than 2,500 addresses in St. Martin Parish.
Spell said the program will use a competitive grant process working with internet service providers and that GUMBO 2.0 includes plans for more communication with residents and stakeholders to avoid issues that occurred during the initial GUMBO round. He described the effort as the next phase of Louisiana’s broadband expansion to help close the digital divide by 2028.
Parish officials did not provide a specific construction timetable or named internet-service providers during the presentation. Council members asked questions about community outreach; Spell said the project team intends to improve resident communications this round but did not specify notice timelines or sign-up procedures.
Why it matters: BEAD-funded deployments are intended to extend high-speed service to unserved and underserved addresses; local officials said the parish stand to benefit from improved connectivity for households and businesses, but details about exact streets, start dates and provider contracts were not specified at the meeting.
Next steps: Council members and parish staff indicated they expect more detailed outreach and implementation updates as GUMBO 2.0 moves from grant awards to deployment planning.
