ST. FRANCISVILLE — State and local officials met at the West Feliciana Parish Library in St. Francisville on Wednesday to mark the completion of a broadband expansion project in the parish. 

ConnectLA and Swyft Fiber representatives joined officials to discuss the expansion project. 

The project is supported by the Granting Underserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities 1.0 project and will help expand high-speed internet access to 1,423 households and 89 businesses across the parish.

“This project is about execution,” Veneeth Iyengar, executive director of ConnectLA, the state's Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity, said. “We are taking funding and translating it into real infrastructure people can rely on every day. Expanding access at this scale ensures more communities are fully connected and positioned to participate in today’s economy.”

Statewide, GUMBO is awarding $34,708,391 to similar projects. In West Feliciana, $4,457,820 is being used to expand broadband coverage. Inclusive of GUMBO funding, West Feliciana is receiving $6,568,436 in investments into the project.

“For rural Louisiana, this kind of infrastructure is essential,” state Sen. Glen Womack said. “Expanding reliable internet access strengthens local economies, supports critical services and ensures our communities remain competitive over time.”