Louisiana officially launched its grant application portal for providers to apply for funds through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. At a press conference on Monday (August 19) helmed by Governor Jeff Landry and the state's broadband director Veneeth Iyengar, Louisiana officially kicked off "GUMBO 2.0," which is the state's program to close the remaining digital divide with BEAD funding.
"Gumbo" is an acronym that stands for Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities, and it's the moniker Louisiana's broadband office – ConnectLA – has used for its grant program since 2021. Louisiana has spent roughly $131 million in federal funding through Gumbo 1.0 to connect 65,000 locations across the state. The BEAD program is expected to connect an additional 140,000. Read more here.