BEAD PROGRAM NEWS

What's Happening in BEAD

Awards announced, agreements executed, milestones reached — monitored daily across all 56 state and territory programs, AI-verified against official sources.

Program MilestoneLouisianaAugust 6, 2026

ConnectLA releases new toolkits to support Louisiana's BEAD construction phase

ConnectLA, Louisiana's Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity, released two new toolkits, a Deployment Toolkit and an Excavation Toolkit, to support coordination and communication as broadband construction scales statewide through the GUMBO 2.0 program. The Deployment Toolkit provides construction lifecycle references and community engagement materials for stakeholders, while the Excavation Toolkit offers guidance on Louisiana's Dig Law for subgrantees. The release supports Louisiana's $1.355 billion BEAD-funded buildout, which is currently in its construction phase.

Amount: $1.4B Source

Program MilestoneLouisianaJuly 30, 2026

Louisiana's GUMBO 1.0 program tops $100M in infrastructure payments

ConnectLA announced that its GUMBO 1.0 broadband program, funded by the U.S. Treasury's Capital Projects Fund, has surpassed $100 million in infrastructure payments to internet service providers, having distributed $102 million to serve 49,000 locations. The milestone supports Louisiana's goal of achieving full statewide broadband coverage by 2028.

Amount: $100.0M Source

Program MilestoneLouisianaJune 3, 2026

ConnectLA Launches Device and Digital Skills Program (ÉTOUFFÉE) — Apply by July 15

Louisiana's broadband office, ConnectLA, launched the ÉTOUFFÉE grant program to help community organizations provide free devices, upgraded equipment, and digital skills training to residents, complementing the state's BEAD/GUMBO infrastructure buildout. Eligible applicants include veterans service organizations, rural public health agencies, municipalities, state agencies, and qualifying post-secondary institutions, with applications open through July 15, 2026.

Source

Program MilestoneLouisianaMay 13, 2026

Nextlink Activates First BEAD-Funded Tower in the U.S., Connecting Rural Louisiana

On May 1, 2026, Nextlink Internet activated a fixed-wireless tower in southern Bienville Parish, Louisiana, bringing gigabit-speed service to 104 BEAD locations in Bossier Parish — the first time households anywhere in the U.S. had service available via BEAD-funded infrastructure. The tower is part of an $18.5 million Louisiana BEAD subgrant to Nextlink to serve 7,460 unserved/underserved locations, awarded through ConnectLA's GUMBO 2.0 program, and was announced via a ConnectLA press release on May 13, 2026.

Providers: Nextlink Source

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