Louisiana Gov. Wants BEAD Flexibility, Keep Fiber Priority

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2025 – Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has some thoughts on how  the Trump administration should update a $42.5 billion effort to deploy broadband throughout the nation.

Landry Letter to Lutnick

Since the start of my administration, we have made it a priority to eliminate the digital divide in Louisiana. Ensuring access to high-quality broadband statewide, including across the rural areas of our state that have been too often left behind, is truly of vital importance in our state.

Available to Breakfast Club Members

There’s been a lot of anticipation around how the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program might be altered with the GOP trifecta: Control over the presidency, the House and the Senate. Republicans have made it known they don’t like the program’s preference for fiber, among other things, but it hasn’t been clear precisely what they might pursue.

On Thursday, Landry released a letter to Howard Lutnick, Trump’s pick to head the Commerce Department, that the agency should ditch the “alternative technology” designation currently given to low-earth orbit satellite and unlicensed fixed wireless broadband under the program due to capacity and interference concerns from the  and classify them as “reliable broadband services.”