State Broadband Capacity Building:

Through the capacity building program the state will hire dedicated staff to manage broadband research and coordinate statewide broadband activities for the State of Louisiana. Staff will be responsible for supporting Louisiana broadband initiatives and coordinating the activity of the Louisiana broadband advisory council.

Technical Assistance/Planning Teams:

In cooperation with the Louisiana State University Agriculture Center Cooperative Extension, the technical assistance program will offer subgrants and provide direct training to eighteen targeted parishes in the Louisiana Delta and Florida Parishes regions, in order to develop local broadband assessment and planning efforts in the most underserved areas of Louisiana.

Data Collection, Integration, and Validation:

This project was originally funded for broadband planning activities and two years of data collection. In September of 2010, this project was amended to extend data collection activities for an additional three years and to identify and implement best practices.

Address File Development:

The State of Louisiana will build out address files through collaboration with all parishes, but specifically focusing on rural communities. Once the files are complete, Louisiana will possess an authoritative address file for the entire state, a street layer of census blocks greater than two square miles, and an electronic solution for managing addresses available to parishes.