Louisiana internet: fiber in most parishes, phone plans in many homes
Fiber is available at 61.7% of the 1,868,442 homes and businesses the FCC counts in Louisiana, and wired broadband of at least 100/20 Mbps at 89.4%. 52.5% of locations have a choice of two or more wired providers at that speed; at 36.9% there is only one.1
FCC National Broadband Map, availability as of June 30, 2026 (data revised November 10, 2026), as reported by providers.
South region, West South Central division
Fiber was reported at 25.4%2 of Louisiana's homes and businesses in June 2022 and at 61.7% four years later, a gain that ranks 6th highest1 among the states. The wires have not reached every household's budget or every parish: Louisiana has the highest share of households in the country that rely on a cellular data plan alone, and in two rural parishes most locations still lack reliable service.
The companies behind Louisiana's service
48 companies report terrestrial home internet somewhere in Louisiana as of June 30, 2026 (FCC National Broadband Map, revision of November 10, 2026), across 1.9 million broadband serviceable locations: houses, apartment buildings and small businesses. 351 of them report fiber, up from 212 in June 2022. A provider lists a location when it says it could connect it within ten business days with a standard installation; the listing is a claim, and anyone can challenge it on the FCC map.
| AT&T | Fiber DSL Licensed wireless | 70.3% | 41.7% | 5 Gbps | 1.6% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile | Licensed wireless | 67.7% | 21.1% | 100 Mbps | – |
| Verizon | Licensed wireless | 57.3% | 28.3% | 1 Gbps | – |
| Cox | Fiber Cable | 37.2% | 37.2% | 2 Gbps | 9.5% |
| Spectrum | Fiber Cable | 14.8% | 14.8% | 1 Gbps | 7.2% |
| Optimum | Fiber Cable | 11.5% | 11.5% | 940 Mbps | 4.1% |
| Xfinity | Fiber Cable | 11.3% | 11.3% | 2 Gbps | 3.8% |
| REV | Fiber Cable | 6.8% | 6.8% | 5 Gbps | 1.4% |
| Metronet | Fiber | 5.8% | 5.8% | 5 Gbps | 0.3% |
| SkyCom1 | Fixed wireless | 5.0% | 5.0% | 100 Mbps | – |
| LFT Fiber | Fiber | 4.9% | 4.9% | 10 Gbps | 0.1% |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Share of the area's broadband serviceable locations where the provider reports service as of June 30, 2026. "Only wired option" is the share of locations where it is the single wired provider at 100/20 Mbps. Provider-reported and challengeable; speeds are advertised maximums, not measured; no prices. Satellite providers (HughesNet, Viasat, Starlink) report service at nearly every location and are left out of the table.
AT&T reaches the most locations, 70.3%, but over three technologies: fiber at 38.8% of the state, with copper DSL and fixed wireless across much of the rest, so it offers 100/20 Mbps at only 41.7%. Cable is divided by region. Cox covers 37.2% of locations, including most of New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette, and is the only wired 100/20 provider at 9.5%. Spectrum (14.8%), Optimum (11.5%) and Xfinity (11.3%) hold most of the remaining cabled areas. Taken together, cable reaches 77.4%1 of locations, the same share as in 2022.
Leaving aside AT&T's own fixed wireless, the 5G home internet networks report service widely: T-Mobile at 67.7% of locations and Verizon at 57.3%. Their 100/20 Mbps offers are narrower, at 21.1% and 28.3%1 of locations.
Fiber: from a quarter of the state to most of it
Four years ago, fiber was a minority service in Louisiana. The first location-based map, for June 30, 2022, put it at 25.4%2 of locations. By June 30, 2026 it had reached 61.7%, a rise of 36.3 percentage points, while the national share rose by 25.4 percentage points. Louisiana's fiber share still ranks 19th lowest among the states, a little under the national 62.6%1, from a much lower start.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2022; FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of December 31, 2025; FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Shares of broadband serviceable locations in each FCC release (latest revision of each); the small number is the change in percentage points since June 30, 2022. The FCC's count of locations is updated with each release, so shares are compared rather than counts.
Show the numbers
| Measure | June 30, 2022 | December 31, 2025 | June 30, 2026 | Change (points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiber available | 25.4% | 57.2% | 61.7% | 36.3 pts |
| Gigabit (1,000/100) | 23.9% | 65.6% | 68.9% | 44.9 pts |
| Wired 100/100 Mbps | 24.9% | 66.8% | 69.3% | 44.4 pts |
| Two or more wired choices | 25.8% | 49.3% | 52.5% | 26.7 pts |
| Unserved | 15.4% | 6.2% | 5.1% | −10.3 pts |
The build changed what is advertised. At 60.1% of locations the fastest advertised download is now 2 Gbps or more, against 11.8% in 2022. Wired service of at least 100 Mbps in both directions went from 24.9%2 of locations to 69.3%1.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Maximum advertised download speed (Mbps) of any wired or fixed wireless offer at the location, as reported by providers to the FCC; satellite excluded. Advertised, not measured.
Show the numbers
| Area | Under 25 Mbps or none | 25–99 | 100–249 | 250–499 | 500–939 | 940–1,999 | 2,000 or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 5.5% | 2.8% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 0.6% | 28.5% | 60.1% |
| United States | 2.4% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 1.4% | 0.9% | 31.0% | 61.0% |
Behind AT&T, fiber comes from regional networks. Metronet reports it at 5.8% of the state's locations, REV at 4.4% and LFT Fiber at 4.9%. Some of the largest gains were in small parishes. Concordia Parish, on the Mississippi River across from Natchez, went from almost no fiber to 89.1% of locations, a rise of +89.1 percentage points, with Swyft Connect the largest provider at 58.4%. In 151 of the state's 644 parishes, fiber's share rose by 50 points or more.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. Darker counties are higher. Point at a county for its value; the county table has every figure. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
Lafayette was a fiber city before the boom
One city was already there in 2022. Fiber was reported at 87.9%2 of Lafayette's locations in the first map and at 91.6% in 2026, against 61.7% for the state as a whole. LFT Fiber reports service at 89.7% of the city's locations, with advertised tiers up to 10 Gbps, and Cox's cable network at 89.9%. Because AT&T also reports fiber in parts of the city, as Cox does in a few, 26.5%1 of Lafayette's locations have two separate fiber networks.
The other large cities started lower and gained more. In Baton Rouge, fiber rose from 44.1% to 78.2%; in New Orleans, from 22.2% to 56.9%; in Shreveport, from 25.4%2 to 62.5%1. In all three, AT&T is the main fiber network.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
Show the numbers
| Area | Fiber available |
|---|---|
| Ascension Parish | 95.2% |
| East Baton Rouge Parish | 78.9% |
| Jefferson Parish | 78.3% |
| Lafayette Parish | 78.3% |
| Calcasieu Parish | 71.3% |
| St. Tammany Parish | 65.0% |
| United States | 62.6% |
| Louisiana | 61.7% |
| Orleans Parish | 56.9% |
| Caddo Parish | 56.1% |
| Rapides Parish | 51.6% |
| Claiborne Parish | 0.0% |
Among parishes, Ascension Parish, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, has the highest share, 95.2%, and Claiborne Parish, on the Arkansas line, the lowest, 0.0%1.
A second wire for about half the state
Wired 100/20 Mbps service is reported at 89.4% of Louisiana's locations. At 52.5% two or more wired providers offer it, a little below the national 55.6%; in 2022 the share was 25.8%2, and the rise of 26.7 percentage points ranks 10th highest among the states. Exactly one wired provider is available at 36.9%. Two separate fiber networks overlap at only 8.8% of locations, against 12.1%1 nationally.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Different wired providers (fiber, cable or DSL; FCC provider IDs) reporting 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up or more at the same location. Fixed wireless and satellite are not counted.
Show the numbers
| Area | None | One | Two | Three or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 10.6% | 36.9% | 44.8% | 7.7% |
| Lafayette | 8.2% | 2.1% | 61.8% | 27.9% |
| Baton Rouge | 3.6% | 21.2% | 63.6% | 11.6% |
| New Orleans | 4.8% | 40.6% | 54.6% | 0.0% |
| United States | 7.8% | 36.6% | 44.6% | 11.1% |
The parishes along the Mississippi above New Orleans have the most overlap. In St. John the Baptist Parish, REV reports service at 99.3% of locations and Xfinity at 97.2%, so 96.9% have two wired choices. Winn Parish, in north-central Louisiana, shows the opposite pattern: Swyft Connect's fiber reaches 49.7% of its locations and Optimum's cable 27.7%, but the two networks serve different locations, and the share with two wired choices is 0.0%1.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. Darker counties are higher. Point at a county for its value; the county table has every figure. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
The parishes still waiting
Statewide, 5.1% of locations are unserved under the definitions of the federal BEAD program, with no reliable service of 25/3 Mbps, the 7th highest share among the states and more than double the national 2.4%. The share has fallen from 15.4%2 in 2022. Satellite is the only service reported at 2.3% of locations, the 7th highest share, against 0.8%1 nationally.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. Darker counties have larger gaps. Point at a county for its value; the county table has every figure. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
The gaps are concentrated. 21 parishes have half or more of their locations unserved.
East Feliciana Parish, north of Baton Rouge, has 8,560 locations; 53.0% are unserved and at 27.7% satellite is the only service, the highest satellite-only share in the state. Wired 100/20 Mbps reaches 28.1%. The most widespread terrestrial service is T-Mobile's fixed wireless, reported at 41.0% of locations but at 100/20 Mbps at only 5.9%1.
Claiborne Parish, where fiber's share has not moved since 2022, has almost none. Its wired service is cable, which reaches 38.6% of locations; 47.0% are unserved, satellite is the only option at 20.1%, and at 13.1%1 fixed wireless is the only way to get 100/20 Mbps.
Cameron Parish, on the Gulf coast, is the hardest case to read. Fiber is reported at 62.2% of its 3,861 locations, yet 62.0% are unserved, the highest share in Louisiana, and the unserved share rose by 28.0 percentage points since 2022. The BEAD test counts a service as reliable only when the provider reports it as low latency, so the two figures can both hold only where fiber is filed without that flag. The largest provider there, Fastwyre Broadband, reports service at 87.5%1 of locations. Anyone who lives there can see each filing, and challenge it, on the FCC map.
| Area | Locations (BSLs) | Unserved | Satellite only | Fixed wireless only at 100/20 | Wired 100/20 Mbps | Fiber available |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Parish, Louisiana | 3,861 | 62.0% | 1.6% | 4.1% | 62.2% | 62.2% |
| East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana | 8,560 | 53.0% | 27.7% | 5.0% | 28.1% | 21.6% |
| Claiborne Parish, Louisiana | 7,376 | 47.0% | 20.1% | 13.1% | 38.6% | 0.0% |
| Winn Parish, Louisiana | 7,533 | 16.0% | 12.6% | 2.4% | 77.4% | 49.7% |
| Rapides Parish, Louisiana | 56,641 | 11.4% | 5.2% | 1.9% | 80.1% | 51.6% |
| Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana | 83,757 | 8.8% | 3.1% | 1.7% | 88.1% | 71.3% |
| Louisiana | 1,868,442 | 5.1% | 2.3% | 2.0% | 89.4% | 61.7% |
| United States | 115,784,915 | 2.4% | 0.8% | 3.6% | 92.3% | 62.6% |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
Larger parishes have gaps in absolute numbers. In Rapides Parish, around Alexandria, 6,477 locations (11.4%) are unserved, and in Calcasieu Parish, around Lake Charles, 7,354 (8.8%1).
| Acadia Parish | 26,436 | 64.3% | 87.6% | 38.3% | 2.7% | AT&T | 53.1% ±3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen Parish | 10,155 | 68.6% | 81.6% | 32.7% | 15.0% | Swyft Connect | 49.8% ±4.0 |
| Ascension Parish | 50,854 | 95.2% | 99.1% | 85.5% | 0.3% | REV | 80.7% ±1.7 |
| Assumption Parish | 9,784 | 10.3% | 95.0% | 7.0% | 2.0% | Spectrum | 67.4% ±4.2 |
| Avoyelles Parish | 18,966 | 75.2% | 79.7% | 21.1% | 12.5% | Swyft Connect | 48.9% ±3.1 |
| Beauregard Parish | 15,979 | 79.3% | 82.5% | 28.9% | 9.9% | Swyft Connect | 47.0% ±2.5 |
| Bienville Parish | 7,209 | 40.1% | 62.6% | 2.7% | 21.8% | Conexon Connect LLC | 31.3% ±3.6 |
| Bossier Parish | 49,763 | 60.8% | 87.0% | 60.2% | 5.9% | Optimum | 66.8% ±2.1 |
| Caddo Parish | 100,556 | 56.1% | 96.4% | 55.3% | 1.9% | Xfinity | 67.3% ±1.3 |
| Calcasieu Parish | 83,757 | 71.3% | 88.1% | 62.0% | 8.8% | AT&T | 64.3% ±1.9 |
| Caldwell Parish | 5,230 | 15.3% | 42.4% | 9.2% | 41.6% | Sparklight | 33.3% ±5.4 |
| Cameron Parish | 3,861 | 62.2% | 62.2% | 0.3% | 62.0% | Fastwyre Broadband | 57.5% ±7.8 |
| Catahoula Parish | 5,327 | 40.5% | 40.5% | 0.8% | 41.2% | Swyft Connect | 25.8% ±5.5 |
| Claiborne Parish | 7,376 | 0.0% | 38.6% | 0.0% | 47.0% | Sparklight | 22.2% ±3.5 |
| Concordia Parish | 9,652 | 89.1% | 89.1% | 10.9% | 7.7% | Swyft Connect | 37.8% ±4.0 |
| De Soto Parish | 13,782 | 13.9% | 65.3% | 6.7% | 23.5% | AT&T | 45.1% ±3.5 |
| East Baton Rouge Parish | 160,631 | 78.9% | 96.5% | 76.3% | 0.7% | AT&T | 76.4% ±1.2 |
| East Carroll Parish | 3,119 | 44.3% | 97.4% | 19.3% | 1.8% | Sparklight | 48.6% ±8.2 |
| East Feliciana Parish | 8,560 | 21.6% | 28.1% | 0.7% | 53.0% | AT&T | 50.7% ±5.3 |
| Evangeline Parish | 15,039 | 81.2% | 84.6% | 53.9% | 7.3% | Brightspeed | 46.9% ±3.0 |
| Franklin Parish | 9,109 | 51.3% | 81.3% | 39.7% | 10.9% | Volt Broadband | 37.6% ±3.7 |
| Grant Parish | 9,367 | 65.5% | 80.3% | 5.4% | 11.1% | Swyft Connect | 42.6% ±4.9 |
| Iberia Parish | 28,981 | 42.7% | 88.1% | 39.9% | 3.5% | AT&T | 67.9% ±2.4 |
| Iberville Parish | 12,978 | 55.4% | 93.0% | 53.5% | 3.1% | Cox | 64.4% ±3.5 |
| Jackson Parish | 7,713 | 42.6% | 56.3% | 0.3% | 24.3% | AT&T | 36.2% ±3.7 |
| Jefferson Davis Parish | 15,133 | 48.3% | 81.4% | 30.8% | 6.9% | AT&T | 54.1% ±3.7 |
| Jefferson Parish | 146,673 | 78.3% | 97.7% | 77.8% | 0.2% | Cox | 70.8% ±1.1 |
| Lafayette Parish | 96,723 | 78.3% | 91.9% | 75.8% | 0.8% | Cox | 77.9% ±1.2 |
| Lafourche Parish | 39,801 | 38.8% | 98.5% | 45.3% | 0.8% | AT&T | 73.0% ±1.9 |
| LaSalle Parish | 6,597 | 78.0% | 78.0% | 29.6% | 16.0% | Swyft Connect | 41.3% ±5.4 |
| Lincoln Parish | 18,367 | 37.8% | 69.6% | 30.8% | 14.5% | Optimum | 52.0% ±3.6 |
| Livingston Parish | 58,021 | 71.6% | 96.3% | 66.4% | 1.0% | AT&T | 78.0% ±1.7 |
| Madison Parish | 4,154 | 21.6% | 81.1% | 10.5% | 8.8% | Sparklight | 54.8% ±5.1 |
| Morehouse Parish | 13,146 | 38.4% | 83.1% | 23.1% | 4.1% | Optimum | 54.5% ±3.6 |
| Natchitoches Parish | 17,601 | 54.3% | 85.2% | 19.3% | 6.4% | Optimum | 54.1% ±2.6 |
| Orleans Parish | 123,128 | 56.9% | 95.2% | 54.6% | 0.4% | Cox | 69.5% ±1.0 |
| Ouachita Parish | 60,856 | 51.4% | 92.6% | 52.1% | 3.1% | Xfinity | 65.9% ±1.5 |
| Plaquemines Parish | 9,606 | 40.4% | 55.1% | 34.3% | 17.0% | AT&T | 66.1% ±3.9 |
| Pointe Coupee Parish | 10,783 | 38.7% | 80.6% | 36.8% | 10.8% | Sparklight | 58.6% ±4.6 |
| Rapides Parish | 56,641 | 51.6% | 80.1% | 43.8% | 11.4% | Optimum | 60.8% ±1.9 |
| Red River Parish | 4,103 | 62.5% | 62.5% | 0.8% | 15.4% | Swyft Connect | 39.7% ±6.0 |
| Richland Parish | 8,976 | 34.4% | 68.8% | 23.0% | 14.3% | AT&T | 42.7% ±4.1 |
| Sabine Parish | 15,517 | 83.8% | 85.5% | 21.5% | 7.1% | Swyft Connect | 33.0% ±3.3 |
| St. Bernard Parish | 16,917 | 52.1% | 93.2% | 50.5% | 0.8% | AT&T | 70.0% ±2.8 |
| St. Charles Parish | 20,105 | 65.6% | 95.8% | 64.0% | 1.0% | Cox | 78.7% ±2.0 |
| St. Helena Parish | 5,790 | 63.2% | 63.9% | 3.8% | 32.0% | Spectrum | 30.8% ±6.8 |
| St. James Parish | 8,554 | 2.3% | 95.0% | 32.2% | 1.9% | AT&T | 72.2% ±3.4 |
| St. John the Baptist Parish | 16,947 | 35.1% | 99.6% | 96.9% | 0.3% | REV | 71.7% ±3.3 |
| St. Landry Parish | 38,066 | 52.4% | 86.6% | 28.7% | 5.4% | Spectrum | 50.0% ±2.6 |
| St. Martin Parish | 24,767 | 50.1% | 81.2% | 40.2% | 7.6% | Cox | 64.5% ±2.8 |
| St. Mary Parish | 23,274 | 22.1% | 82.5% | 18.5% | 3.7% | Cajun Broadband | 69.5% ±2.9 |
| St. Tammany Parish | 108,430 | 65.0% | 96.8% | 61.3% | 0.9% | Spectrum | 81.0% ±0.9 |
| Tangipahoa Parish | 55,306 | 49.5% | 94.0% | 40.2% | 2.6% | Spectrum | 70.4% ±2.0 |
| Tensas Parish | 3,463 | 28.6% | 48.7% | 19.0% | 43.8% | Lake Bruin Wireless LLC | 33.5% ±5.7 |
| Terrebonne Parish | 43,239 | 61.0% | 98.0% | 63.5% | 0.6% | AT&T | 72.8% ±2.2 |
| Union Parish | 12,001 | 21.9% | 43.3% | 0.0% | 37.3% | AT&T | 31.1% ±4.0 |
| Vermilion Parish | 25,370 | 61.7% | 78.1% | 48.0% | 4.9% | Louisiana Competitive Telecommunications | 66.3% ±2.7 |
| Vernon Parish | 17,552 | 60.3% | 83.6% | 25.4% | 10.4% | Optimum | 56.4% ±2.1 |
| Washington Parish | 20,096 | 82.6% | 83.0% | 7.6% | 6.7% | Spectrum | 38.0% ±3.5 |
| Webster Parish | 19,287 | 64.3% | 81.4% | 50.0% | 10.9% | Optimum | 40.6% ±3.0 |
| West Baton Rouge Parish | 11,605 | 66.7% | 91.7% | 61.5% | 1.4% | Cox | 71.7% ±3.9 |
| West Carroll Parish | 5,215 | 69.8% | 83.9% | 51.8% | 4.0% | Volt Broadband | 35.4% ±4.5 |
| West Feliciana Parish | 4,915 | 74.5% | 74.5% | 23.6% | 20.7% | Swyft Connect | 57.4% ±6.7 |
| Winn Parish | 7,533 | 49.7% | 77.4% | 0.0% | 16.0% | Swyft Connect | 33.4% ±4.5 |
| Louisiana | 1,868,442 | 61.7% | 89.4% | 52.5% | 5.1% | 67.0% |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year detailed tables. Shares of broadband serviceable locations as of June 30, 2026 (FCC). 2+ wired choices: two or more wired providers at 100/20 Mbps. Unserved: BEAD definition. Largest wired provider: reports fiber, cable or DSL at the most locations. Wired subscription: households with a cable, fiber or DSL subscription, American Community Survey 2020–2024 (± 90% margin of error).
Phone plans instead of home lines
Availability is only half of Louisiana's story. In the Census Bureau's 2025 American Community Survey, 16.6% of Louisiana households (margin of error ±0.6 percentage points) had a cellular data plan as their only internet subscription, the highest estimate of any state. 69.8% subscribed to cable, fiber or DSL (±0.7 percentage points), the 7th lowest6 share. Households are a different unit from the FCC's locations, but the contrast with wired 100/20 availability at 89.4%1 of locations is wide.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year detailed tables. Availability is a share of locations as of June 30, 2026 (FCC); subscriptions are a share of households from the American Community Survey, 2025 (whiskers: 90% margin of error). Different units and dates: read the gap as a sign, not an exact number.
Show the numbers
| Measure | Share | MOE |
|---|---|---|
| Wired 100/20 Mbps available (FCC, share of locations) | 89.4% | |
| Households subscribing to cable, fiber or DSL (Census) | 69.8% | ±0.7 |
| Households relying only on a cellular data plan | 16.6% | ±0.6 |
| Households with no internet subscription | 7.9% | ±0.4 |
The share of households with no internet subscription at all has fallen, from 19.3%7 in 2019 to 7.9% in 2025, still the 8th highest among the states. Income separates subscribers: 80.0% of households earning under $20,000 had a broadband subscription of any kind, against 97.4%6 of those earning $75,000 or more. In NTIA's 2023 Internet Use Survey, 22.4%8 of Louisiana households that did not use the internet at home named cost as the main reason, an estimate with a wide margin.
The FCC data hold no prices; official help with the cost comes from federal programs. When the Affordable Connectivity Program stopped enrolling in February 2024, 558,7809 Louisiana households were signed up, about 31.0 per 100 households10; the program ended on June 1, 2024. Lifeline, the older discount, had 102,28611 Louisiana subscribers; USAC estimates the participation rate among eligible households at 22.4%12.
The BEAD plan: mostly fiber, most money still unassigned
Louisiana's $1.36 billion allocation from the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, the 8th highest13 of any state, is run by the state broadband office, ConnectLA, as the second round of its GUMBO grant program. The office publishes the plan on its GUMBO program page. The approved Final Proposal covers 127,108 locations at a BEAD cost of $498.8 million, or $3,924 per location, the 13th lowest among state plans; providers committed a further $365.1 million14.
Source: NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs. Locations in the state's approved BEAD Final Proposal by technology of the selected projects, as printed in NTIA's Final Proposal overview; subject to NTIA and NIST final review and award.
Show the numbers
| Technology | Share of BEAD locations |
|---|---|
| Fiber | 80.6% |
| Cable | 5.2% |
| Fixed wireless | 5.9% |
| Low-Earth-orbit satellite | 8.4% |
102,453 locations (80.6%) are assigned to fiber, a share that ranks 11th highest among the plans. 10,635 (8.4%) went to low-Earth-orbit satellite, 7,460 (5.9%) to fixed wireless and 5.2% to cable. $856.8 million14 of the allocation is not assigned to construction in the plan; how that money may be used was not settled as of November 2026.
Earlier federal programs also pay for construction. Under the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, providers had reported 65,745 Louisiana locations as built, with $123.3 million15 disbursed, and the state received $176.7 million16 from the Treasury's Capital Projects Fund.
| Program | Amount | As of |
|---|---|---|
| BEAD allocation (NTIA, announced June 26, 2023) | $1,355,554,553 | |
| BEAD Final Proposal: locations to be connected | 127,108 | |
| BEAD Final Proposal: deployment cost | $498,764,087 | |
| BEAD cost per location | $3,924 | |
| BEAD allocation not assigned to deployment | $856,790,466 | |
| Treasury Capital Projects Fund allocation | $176,741,864 | |
| RDOF: locations built with support (cumulative) | 65,745 | |
| Lifeline subscribers claimed | 102,286 | |
| Lifeline participation rate | 22.4% | |
| Households in the Affordable Connectivity Program, February 2024 | 558,780 |
Source: NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Award Recipients pages; NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs; Department of the Treasury, Capital Projects Fund Awards Made to States, Territories, and Freely Associated States, to date; USAC, CAF Disbursements and Locations Data; Universal Service Administrative Co., Lifeline Disbursements; USAC, Lifeline participation rate; USAC, ACP Enrollments by County as of February 8, 2024. BEAD figures are as printed in NTIA's Final Proposal overview, subject to final review; "not assigned to deployment" is the allocation minus the deployment cost (NTIA calls it savings; how it may be used is not settled). The ACP stopped taking applications on February 8, 2024 and ended on June 1, 2024.
Louisiana cities and towns
Pages for New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport and Lafayette list every provider reporting service in each city.
| New Orleans | 362,154 | 56.9% | 86.6% | 54.6% | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge | 222,795 | 78.2% | 85.5% | 75.2% | 5 |
| Shreveport | 175,902 | 62.5% | 77.8% | 62.7% | 2 |
| Lafayette | 123,311 | 91.6% | 91.6% | 89.7% | 3 |
| Lake Charles | 82,676 | 88.5% | 88.5% | 84.5% | 3 |
| Kenner | 65,136 | 72.1% | 92.6% | 73.7% | 2 |
| Bossier City | 63,259 | 72.1% | 86.9% | 82.4% | 2 |
| Monroe | 46,860 | 78.9% | 78.9% | 79.1% | 4 |
| Alexandria | 42,938 | 91.9% | 91.8% | 84.7% | 4 |
| Houma | 31,735 | 85.2% | 86.5% | 86.0% | 2 |
| Central | 30,313 | 71.9% | 74.1% | 70.3% | 3 |
| Slidell | 28,341 | 80.0% | 80.0% | 79.7% | 4 |
| New Iberia | 26,533 | 59.4% | 92.3% | 57.9% | 5 |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates; Census Bureau, 2020 Census Block Assignment Files. Shares of broadband serviceable locations inside city limits (2020 census blocks), as of June 30, 2026. Population: July 1, 2025 estimate. Gigabit: 1,000/100 Mbps.
Questions and answers
What internet providers serve Louisiana?
Apart from satellite, the largest by reported reach are AT&T (70.3% of locations; fiber, DSL and fixed wireless), the 5G home internet networks of T-Mobile (67.7%) and Verizon (57.3%), and Cox (37.2%, mostly cable). Spectrum, Optimum and Xfinity hold the other cable areas, and REV, Metronet and LFT Fiber each report fiber at 4.4% to 5.8%1 of the state's locations.
How many people in Louisiana lack broadband?
As of June 30, 2026, 95,090 homes and businesses (5.1%), the FCC's locations rather than people, had no reliable wired or licensed fixed wireless service of 25/3 Mbps, the 7th highest share among the states. Cameron and East Feliciana parishes are more than half unserved. At 42,9741 locations satellite is the only service on file.
How much BEAD money does Louisiana get?
Louisiana's allocation is $1.36 billion, the 8th highest13 among the states. The approved plan covers 127,108 locations, 80.6% of them with fiber, for $498.8 million, and $856.8 million14 is unassigned.
Is there cheap or low-income internet in Louisiana?
The FCC data contain no prices. The federal Lifeline program discounts a phone or internet bill for eligible low-income households; in Louisiana 102,28611 subscribers were enrolled in the latest USAC count. The Affordable Connectivity Program, which had 558,7809 Louisiana households enrolled in February 2024, ended in June 2024. Each provider must publish a broadband facts label with its regular monthly price.
Checking one address in Louisiana
The figures on this page describe the whole area. Which providers report service at a single home or apartment is shown only on the FCC's own map: search the address at broadbandmap.fcc.gov. If a provider is listed there but cannot actually connect you within ten business days, or the location is missing or misplaced, the map has a button to file a challenge; providers must respond, and corrections flow into later releases. Prices and plans are not part of the FCC data: each provider must show them on its broadband facts label at the point of sale.
More on internet in and around Louisiana
Large cities with their own page: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport and Lafayette.
Neighboring states: Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas. Put Louisiana side by side with any state or large city in the comparison tool.
| Ranking | Value | Rank (1 = highest) |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber internet availability by state | 61.7% | 33rd of 51 |
| Internet speed by state: where gigabit service is offered | 68.9% | 33rd of 51 |
| Broadband coverage by state | 89.4% | 36th of 51 |
| Internet provider competition by state | 52.5% | 31st of 51 |
| Unserved and underserved broadband locations by state | 5.1% | 7th of 51 |
| Where fiber has grown since 2022 | 36.3% | 6th of 51 |
| 5G home internet and licensed fixed wireless by state | 82.0% | 38th of 51 |
| Households with an internet subscription by state | 92.0% | 44th of 51 |
| BEAD broadband funding by state | 3,924.0% | 38th of 50 |
Sources
- FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Availability as of June 30, 2026; released November 10, 2026. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2022; Availability as of June 30, 2022; released May 10, 2024. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of December 31, 2025; Availability as of December 31, 2025; released November 3, 2026. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. www2.census.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year detailed tables; 2020-2024; released January 29, 2026. api.census.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year detailed tables; 2025 (calendar-year sample); released October 29, 2026. api.census.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019 1-year detailed tables; 2019. api.census.gov
- NTIA Data Explorer "Analyze Table"; November 2023 (also all prior waves 1994-2021). www.ntia.gov
- USAC, ACP Enrollments by County as of February 8, 2024; Enrolled households as of 2024-02-08 (Data Month January 2024 file). www.usac.org
- US Internet Map, Our calculation from the sources named in the definition.
- Universal Service Administrative Co., Lifeline Disbursements; Support months 2018-01 to 2026-09. opendata.usac.org
- USAC, Lifeline participation rate; released August 17, 2026. www.usac.org
- NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Award Recipients pages; Allocations announced 2023-06-26; released June 26, 2023. broadbandusa.ntia.gov
- NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs. broadbandusa.ntia.gov
- USAC, CAF Disbursements and Locations Data. opendata.usac.org
- Department of the Treasury, Capital Projects Fund Awards Made to States, Territories, and Freely Associated States, to date; Allocations under ARPA sec. 604 (awards announced 2022-06 to 2023). home.treasury.gov
- Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates; July 1, 2025; released May 14, 2026. www.census.gov
- Census Bureau, 2020 Census Block Assignment Files; released December 11, 2020. www2.census.gov
Margins of error (±) are at the 90% confidence level. A difference is called significant only when it passes the Census Bureau's test at that level. How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.