Louisiana is showing the nation that it doesn’t take massive bureaucracy to manage federal broadband subsidies. With a small, mission-driven broadband office and a well-designed program making it easier for private industry to build more quickly, the Pelican State has been a consistent leader in the race to connect unserved and underserved households and businesses.
The ingredients of Louisiana’s success: experience and efficiency. The state broadband office, ConnectLA, grants Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funds from the 2021 federal infrastructure law under the second iteration of a state program known as GUMBO, for Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities. It’s a sequel to the original GUMBO, which managed Louisiana’s broadband funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. ConnectLA’s current executive director led the team of four during GUMBO 1.0 and continues to lead now.
An office that small — with direct access to the governor — avoids the problem of having too many cooks in the kitchen. Compare that with California, which splits its broadband responsibilities across its Public Utilities Commission and Department of Technology, resulting in slow progress and deadline extensions. Louisiana’s prior experience and lean office let the team skip drawn-out bureaucratic processes and set the national pace.
Nate Karren is a policy analyst with the American Consumer Institute, a nonprofit education and research organization. Follow Nate on X @NateKarrenOnX