Louisiana broadband expansion plan scaled back under revised federal rules
The revisions cut labor and climate rules, and while low-cost plans remain required, states lost the power to set prices
BATON ROUGE, La. —Louisiana’s plan to expand high-speed internet will cover fewer households and businesses after federal officials revised a $42.45 billion broadband program earlier this year.
The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, or BEAD, was created in 2021 under the Biden administration’s infrastructure law. Louisiana was allocated $1.35 billion to extend reliable broadband service to nearly every home and business in the state.
In June, the Trump administration changed BEAD rules through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The revisions removed a federal preference for fiber-optic cable, adopted a technology-neutral approach, and placed greater weight on the lowest-cost projects. Federal officials also gave states the option to deem certain locations “too expensive” for BEAD funding.
Other changes eliminated requirements related to labor, environmental and climate standards. Providers must continue offering low-cost service options, but states may no longer set or enforce the price of those plans.
An analysis by the New York Law School’s Broadband Expanded project shows the number of BEAD-eligible locations nationally dropped from 4.86 million to 4.19 million after the rule changes.
Louisiana’s revised BEAD proposal now calls for about 80% of eligible locations to be served with fiber broadband, 9% with low Earth orbit satellite service such as Starlink, and the remainder with cable or fixed wireless. The state also reduced planned deployment spending from about $748 million in earlier drafts to $499 million.
According to the Federal Communications Commission, about 22% of Louisiana households currently lack reliable high-speed internet.
