St. Martin Parish, La (KADN)-Â Â A major investment was made for the future of St. Martin Parish as Cajun Broadband, state, and local leaders came out to celebrate the start of construction on a $1.5 million effort to bring high-speed internet to over 500 locations in St. Martin Parish.
Governor John Bel Edwards says companies like Cajun Broadband are paving the way for our state to close the digital divide by 2029.
"People need internet all over Acadiana."
St. Martin Parish broke ground as Cajun Broadband has now installed the first fiber broadband.
Parish-President Chester Cedars says after first hearing about the program he wanted to make sure St. Martin Parish was included, excited about what this will do for the area. "Today we have laid 73,000 feet of fiber that is going to serve 750 homes because we are serious about bringing broadband to our rural communities."
Co-founder of Cajun Broadband, Chris Disher says for far too long residents in rural areas have endured connectivity issues and knew he had to change that. "Outside of the main cities most rural communities don't have good internet and we didn't realize that when we started the project. It's very fulfilling to help a smaller community that is rural and needs internet access."
Governor John Bel Edwards says the key to growth for the state is all areas being able to have affordable high-speed internet. "Every single address, home, and business will have access to affordable high-speed internet. If you want to improve educational outcomes, if you want companies to be more competitive broadband is key to it.
Parish President Cedars thanks all that were a part of seeing this happen for St. Martin Parish. As Cajun Broadband plans to continue its work so that all communities have access to affordable internet.
Governor Edwards also announced an $8 million investment to provide high-speed internet to over 600 households in St. Martin, Acadia, Iberia, and Evangeline Parishes.
The project is funded by the GUMBO grant program with a $4.8 million private-sector funding match.
