Community Engagement Key to Louisiana’s Broadband Strategy

CRYSTAL CITY, Va., October 14, 2022 – State broadband offices should coordinate closely with community stakeholders, said Veneeth Iyengar, executive director of the Louisiana Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity, at AnchorNets 2022 on Thursday.

Iyengar said he meets with a variety of Louisianans “on repeated cycles, to present really complex ideas and to get buy-in.” Invitations to his team’s community conferences are extended to a wide range of local leaders – including mayors, legislators librarians, superintendents, and healthcare executives, he added.

“[Community-level engagement has] been really beneficial in helping us understand what the blindspots are, but also understanding what those different use cases are when it comes to the convergence of broadband and different sectoral priorities that of importance to Louisiana’s economy – now and into the future,” Iyengar explained.

What’s more, Iyengar said, there is “absolute alignment” between Louisiana’s governor, legislature, and local officials on closing the digital divide.

In recent months, Louisiana has announced two rounds of broadband grants from the Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities program – a total investment of $165 million.

In September, Bossier Parish Community College and the Fiber Broadband Association announced the launch of the Optical Telecom Installer Certification Path program, which the FBA says is “designed to develop the technical workforce needed to support the significant increase in fiber network builds as a result of the [National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s] Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program funding.”