Report addresses broadband access issues in Louisiana
28th June 2021 · 0 Comments
By Fritz Esker
Contributing Writer
Poverty is likely a major factor in lack of connections in both La. and Miss.
A joint report from the Pelican Center for Technology and Innovation and the Mississippi Center for Public Policy addressed the status of broadband internet access in Louisiana and Mississippi, with recommendations on how both states can improve connectivity in this digital age.
“In order to close the digital divide, lawmakers must be armed with the information necessary to overcome the challenges of broadband implementation,” said Eric Peterson, director of the Pelican Center for Technology and Innovation, in a press release. “Lawmakers need to be informed on what areas lack access and what issues cause lower adoption rates. By understanding the causes of problems in broadband deployment, lawmakers will be able to make great strides in closing the digital divide.”
The report used data from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Tele-communications and Information Administration (NTIA). When offline Louisiana residents were asked why they weren’t online, 4.7 percent said access was not available to them, 18.6 percent said it was too expensive, and 60.2 percent said they do not need it.
“Poverty is likely a major factor in lack of connections in both Louisiana and Mississippi,” wrote the report.
The report suggested multiple solutions for these problems. An important one is private sector technology. “Technologies like fixed wireless internet, low-orbit satellites, and 5G offer the potential for reaching rural areas at lower costs than burying miles of fiber,” wrote the report.
The report’s recommendations included the following: identify areas in the state most in need of high-speed internet; reduce costs and application times for 5G infrastructure; reduce government right-of-way fees; open state infrastructure for deployment by partnering with the private sector; and standardize taxes and recurring fees for broadband equipment.
One other recommendation was increasing educational initiatives. The report noted that many Louisianans are not online because they choose not to be. Of those surveyed in the report, 59.9 percent of offline people between ages 45-64 and 70.1 percent of offline people over 65 said it was because they did not need Internet access. The report recommended that non-profit groups work to increase digital literacy in their communities. If demand goes up, it will incentivize companies to create more infrastructure.
“The digital divide’s biggest issue in Louisiana is still adoption,” Peterson said.
Peterson said the recommendation that would be easiest to implement quickly would be reduction of right-of-way fees. The report cites how Louisiana charges companies $5,000 to deploy cable in the right of way of a state highway, even if the cables go under the highway to cross the street. The same is true of other state property, such as railroads.
Broadband internet became even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic. When in-person interactions were restricted and discouraged, reliable high-speed internet allowed Americans to access important services like education via distance learning and healthcare through telemedicine.
But for many in Louisiana, those options were not available. In August 2020, WWL reported that about 25 percent of Louisiana students lacked internet access for remote learning and 42 percent of households lacked broadband access that allowed multiple users in the same home to do virtual learning. In April of this year, a NOLA.com article said the city of New Orleans estimated between 30 percent and 50 percent of its residents did not have internet access at home.
According to the Pelican Center’s report, the Louisiana parishes with the lowest percentage of residents with broadband access are Bienville (3.33%), Catahoula (0.21%), Tensas (0.52%), Sabine (6.43%), and Avoyelles (8.04%). The report estimated that 87 percent of Louisianians had broadband internet access, but only 62 percent of rural Louisianians had that access.
Louisiana is set to receive $180 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan for broadband infrastructure. LA HB648, which is awaiting signature from Governor John Bel Edwards, would establish a grant program to provide broadband and internet access to 400,000 households in Louisiana. Private and public service providers could apply for funds through the program to create broadband infrastructure in underserved areas.
Louisiana State Represent-ative Daryl Deshotel (R, District 28) sponsored the bill. On June 22, he told KTBS of Shreveport the issue is crucial for Louisiana’s economic growth.
“Louisiana is going to battle with other states to attract new industries,” Deshotel told KTBS. “Do we want to go to battle with 60 percent of our soldiers? Because that’s who participates in the digital economy at the moment.”
Louisiana State Representa-tive Royce Duplessis (D, District 93) said he supports expanding broadband access in Louisiana. He said rural expansion is currently the state’s top focus, but he said it should also be a priority for urban areas, too, where many cannot afford home access.
“Provider access does not always mean affordability,” Duplessis said. “Lack of broadband access is a socio-economic barrier for too many families. COVID further exposed the digital divide and the impact it has on economically disadvantaged families.”
New Orleans City Council President Helena Moreno expressed support for free broadband internet access.
“We can’t let the cost to participate in the economy or in personal empowerment reinforce the existing racial and economic gaps in our communities,” said Moreno. “People of this city should not be hampered in doing their studying or doing their work just because they don’t have access to internet.”
When asked for comment, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the city expects to launch public-private partnerships this year to improve New Orleanians’ access to high-speed internet.
“Digital equity has been at the forefront of my administration since day one, and the pandemic has shown the true extent of the digital divide in our city,” said Cantrell. “I am committed to bridging the digital divide, not only to give every resident the high-speed internet they need, but also to make New Orleans the smartest city in the country.”
For urban residents whose primary issue is affordability, the FCC released the Emergency Broadband Benefit in May. For eligible households, it will provide a discount of up to $50 a month for broadband service. Anyone interested in applying should visit www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit.
The full study can be read at https://files.pelicanpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/PEL_Reports_Broadband_Proof5.pdf.
This article originally published in the June 28, 2021 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
