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Caldwell Parish, Louisiana has played host to a new broadband build as Louisiana begins pushing early BEAD projects into construction.
Edited by Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
State and local officials gathered Friday to mark the start of new broadband construction in Caldwell Parish, part of Louisiana’s wider push to expand high-speed internet to rural communities through state and federal programs.
Through a release provided to Broadband Communities, officials said the work in Caldwell has connected more than 500 homes and businesses so far under the state’s Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities (GUMBO) initiative.
That project, led by the Louisiana Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity, known as ConnectLA, and carried out locally by SkyRider Communications, is also one of the earliest projects in the country to move forward with federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funds, state leaders said.
“Louisiana is proud to be leading the nation as we move the first BEAD-funded projects into construction,” Gov. Jeff Landry said at the event, framing the milestone as the result of coordination between the state, the Trump administration and Louisiana’s congressional delegation.
He added that the accelerated rollout aims to help rural communities “grow, compete and succeed.”
“Essential infrastructure”
ConnectLA Executive Director Veneeth Iyengar described the state’s approach as deliberate and collaborative.
“Louisiana has worked deliberately to build a broadband program that delivers results,” Iyengar said, noting that GUMBO and other programs are deploying historic levels of federal and state investment to reach unserved and underserved areas.
SkyRider’s founder and CEO, Brad Warden, also said the company is honored to help deliver the project in Caldwell Parish, emphasizing the practical benefits for rural residents.
“Expanding access like this means that even the most rural customers can enjoy strong, dependable internet service,” Warden said, calling the work a step toward closing the digital divide for families, students, businesses and health providers.
Additionally, local lawmakers attending the announcement stressed the infrastructure’s importance to everyday life in rural Louisiana.
“Reliable broadband has become essential infrastructure,” state Rep. Neil Riser said, while state Sen. Glen Womack added that projects like this are critical to education, health care and economic development in northeast and central Louisiana.
The state also said construction is continuing on other projects as Louisiana moves from planning into the construction phase on multiple broadband builds.
Some AI tools assisted in the crafting of this report.
