Abbeville residents were the latest on Friday who had the opportunity to hear about the GUMBO grant program. While it sounds like a yummy dish, the program actually involves a completely different necessity: internet.
The Granting Underserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities program designates $180 million in federal funds to provide broadband and internet access to 400,000 households statewide, specifically underserved communities. Executive Director of LA Connect or the Office of Broadband, Veneeth Iyengar, presented information on the program at the LSU Ag Center in Abbeville Friday.
During the one-hour program, residents heard about the program's background and how it works, and were able to participate in a question and answer session on the program. Iyengar also illustrated the importance of addressing the digital divide.
The Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity advises Gov. Edwards on a statewide plan for broadband throughout the state. According to LA Connect, Louisiana is ranked 30th in internet access.
GUMBO is "the first state broadband grant program is to address the infrastructure access issue and to help work with the private sector companies and co-ops to invest in parishes and rural areas that do not have broadband," explained Iyengar.
According to Plan Acadiana, Ville Platte has the 5th slowest internet in the country. The Census Bureau says about 22 percent of homes statewide don't have access to the internet.
More information on LA Connect and the GUMBO grant program can be found at connect.la.gov.
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