Rural fiber broadband leader Conexon today announced its Internet Service Provider (ISP) entity, Conexon Connect, has received the first federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding disbursement from the state of Louisiana, with an initial portion of its $9 million award distributed to begin BEAD construction in six northern Louisiana parishes.
In addition to the finalized Louisiana award, Conexon Connect has been preliminarily awarded more than $215 million in BEAD funding. Overall, the funding supports the expansion of high-speed fiber internet within rural communities across eight states.
The Louisiana BEAD funding will enable Connect to expand construction of world-class fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks across unserved and underserved communities within Claiborne, Union, West Carroll, Richland, Franklin and Catahoula parishes.
Combined with previous funding provided through Louisiana GUMBO 1.0 and federal Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) awards, the BEAD funding will support Connect’s FTTH construction to approximately 60,000 homes and businesses across 20 Louisiana parishes. The company intends to launch service in Concordia Parish and expand service availability in Webster Parish in the second quarter of 2026. Expansion in Union Parish and remaining areas is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2026.
“When cooperatives, communities, local stakeholders, and Conexon work together, we don’t just build networks—we build futures,” Conexon Founding Partner Randy Klindt said. “We remain committed to ensuring our BEAD funding in Louisiana translates to a brighter future for our community partners and the rural residents who need reliable connectivity most.”
Connect’s impact in Louisiana began in 2023, when it partnered with community group Delta Interfaith leadership to launch Connect, powered by East Carroll Parish – Connect’s first community-owned fiber broadband network project. Today, more than 1,500 homes and businesses in East Carroll Parish have access to multigigabit-speed fiber internet.
Since Conexon Connect debuted in 2021 as an ISP focused on connecting rural America, it has grown rapidly and completed 13 fiber networks in partnership with electric cooperatives and community organizations. Seven more networks are expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
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