La. Is First State to Get Full BEAD Plan Approval

NTIA approved volume 2 of Louisiana’s initial proposal for the broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program, making it the first state to receive full approval, the federal agency said. On a video conference with reporters Thursday, outgoing Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) said he has no concerns that Gov.-elect Jeff Landry (R) “will depart from the commitment that we have made in our submission.”

With NTIA approval, Louisiana may now execute on its plan. "We're going to deliver the plan that we submitted and ... be faithful to it,” said Edwards. “We will start executing shovel-ready projects in 2024 under the BEAD program.” The state plans to spend $2.25 billion on broadband between now and 2029, he added. The state’s plan “strikes the right balance between affordability, reliability and access,” the governor said. “So I just have no reason to believe, and I am not at all worried” that Landry will do anything other than “clawing forward diligently … with fidelity to the plan that we have submitted.”

NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson has a “quick word” for other states and territories, he said. “Be like Louisiana.” All initial proposals are due Dec. 27. Expect NTIA to issue approvals for plans submitted at deadline in April and May, he said. “I think in the spring we’ll have all the plans approved.”