Nextlink: 862 Bossier Parish locations remain unserved; GUMBO 2.0 deployment targets 2028

Ebony Cooksey, regional representative for Nextlink Internet, told the Bossier Parish Broadband Study Committee on May 20 that “862 unserved locations remain in Bossier Parish.” She said Nextlink began work in Bossier Parish in 2021 under the GUMBO 1.0 grant program and has since expanded using a mix of fixed wireless and fiber.

Cooksey said Nextlink was recently involved in the nation’s first fee-funded tower in southern Bienville Parish, which the company announced delivers gigabit service to 104 locations, and that BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) subgrants are being used to support fixed wireless deployments. She said Nextlink was awarded access to 862 locations in Bossier Parish (857 serviceable locations and five community anchor institutions) and that the company has been asked to provide fixed wireless-only service under GUMBO 2.0 because the technology is easier and less costly to deploy.

During a committee exchange, Parish Attorney Patrick Jackson asked when Nextlink crews would be in the parish for construction or digging. Cooksey clarified that GUMBO 2.0 fixed wireless installations do not require work in the parish right-of-way, but she cautioned that future funding or expansion that includes fiber could require right-of-way work. Cooksey also said tower locations are proprietary but offered to provide location details in a separate meeting; she added that Nextlink builds its own towers and also partners with American Tower Corporation. The company cited a target completion year of 2028 and noted that pricing will be tiered by speed.