Missed Connections: How Louisiana is Avoiding them through Responsible Broadband Deployment

The federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program (BEAD) began in 2021 and has followed a long and winding road, spanning different administrations and approaches to broadband policy. From early in the BEAD approval process, Louisiana led the nation in reaching BEAD milestones. The state’s broadband office, ConnectLA, proved adept at meeting requirements while encouraging competition between broadband providers, all while navigating the needs of a state with particular connectivity challenges. While the approval process is complete for Louisiana, the state continues to lead the nation in connecting those who need it most to fast, reliable internet.

Earlier this month, the program enabled Nextlink Internet to activate a tower in Bossier Parish. The significance of this infrastructure cannot be overstated. From ConnectLA, “The activation is the first time households have service available via BEAD-funded broadband infrastructure anywhere in the United States — four and a half years after the $42.45 billion program was created…It also makes Louisiana the first state to convert BEAD funding into live infrastructure the state has claimed under the Landry administration and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s restructured program.” This bodes well for other parishes around the state, eager to experience the benefits that reliable internet can bring, and would not be possible without the state’s emphasis on prioritizing areas of real need over unnecessary bureaucratic requirements or red tape.

Louisiana’s model can serve as an example to other states still navigating the approval process. The Mackinac Center, a Michigan-based think tank focused on free market principles, recently commented on their own state’s journey with BEAD, after receiving federal approval for their final plan. The Mackinac Center praised Michigan’s revised approach which embraced technological neutrality, competition, and mandates which burdened broadband providers: “These changes reflect an important reality: broadband policy works best when it focuses on outcomes rather than dictating inputs. ” Like Louisiana, competition and free market principles bring Michigan momentum towards increased connectivity.

There is more than one moral to the BEAD story. Federal mandates are a poor substitute for the free market’s ability to adapt and meet the needs of the consumer. Efforts to limit technology and innovation for bureaucratic reasons often exclude those who can benefit the most from cutting edge and alternative technologies. Louisiana’s focus on “outcomes rather than dictating inputs” is a standard for federal programs to come and the fiscally responsible answer to the massive taxpayer dollar sign behind BEAD.