Submitted by United States Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
WASHINGTON (November 14, 2024) – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will grant Louisiana $12,727,887.98 to improve access to high-speed affordable internet from his Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
“Every small business, student, and worker in our state deserves access to high-speed internet,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This broadband investment from the Infrastructure Law will attract new investment and boost our economy.”
Background
The IIJA
While negotiating the IIJA, Cassidy pushed for a fair broadband formula that would benefit Louisiana’s needs and ensure the funding was directed to areas that lacked access to high-speed internet.
Louisiana was awarded $1,355,554,552.94 billion in broadband funding to help provide access to high-speed internet across the state. The funding comes from the BEAD program, which was authorized and appropriated at $42.45 billion in IIJA. Given that Louisiana has approximately 1.3% of the total U.S. population, our state received two and a half times more funding for broadband—punching way above our weight.
In August, Cassidy announced the launch of the GUMBO 2.0 broadband program alongside Governor Jeff Landry which will put into action the $1.35 billion investment that Cassidy secured in the IIJA. It will expand broadband access to 100,000 homes—including 60,000 homes in rural parishes—35,000 businesses, and 4,000 community anchor institutions such as schools, hospitals, and law enforcement agencies. GUMBO 2.0 is expected to create 8,000 to 10,000 new jobs, increase the state’s GDP by $1.3 billion, and generate $2 to 3 billion in new revenue for Louisiana companies.
