LUS Fiber Announces Expansion into Ville Platte, LA

LAFAYETTE, La., March 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LUS Fiber is excited to announce its expansion into Ville Platte, Louisiana, ranked as having the fifth slowest average internet rate in the U.S. according to a recent internet speed analysis conducted by HighSpeedInternet.com. 

This expansion is made possible through funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The NTIA's Broadband Infrastructure Program received over 240 applications requesting more than $2.7 billion, approximately 10 times more than the $288 million available; LUS Fiber is proud to have been awarded $21 million to serve the rural Louisiana communities of Ville Platte, Church Point, Eunice, Mamou, and Basile with the build-out of over one million feet of fiber-optic cable infrastructure. This grant award furthers its positive momentum following the announcement in 2021 about expanded services into additional portions of Lafayette Parish, St. Martin Parish and Iberia Parish.

                "It's been an honor for our entire LUS Fiber team to work with leadership from the Acadiana Planning Commission and surrounding communities to secure this NTIA funding, and we are eager to move forward with providing broadband services to Ville Platte as well as other parts of Acadiana," shares Ryan Meche, P.E., Director of LUS Fiber. "High-quality, high-speed connectivity is vital for growing and thriving communities, and we commend Ville Platte leadership for their efforts in securing equitable access and opportunities for their residents and businesses," he says.

                LUS Fiber's development and construction of a state-of-the-art broadband infrastructure in this community will address the significant digital divide, serve as a catalyst for growth and opportunity, and offer access to previously unavailable resources.

                "This is a huge step forward for the city of Ville Platte – we're thrilled for this incredible opportunity to enhance the quality of life for our residents, increase opportunities for our businesses, support education with new resources, and strengthen our economy as a whole," says Donald Bergeron, Evangeline Parish Police Jury Official.

Since its inception, LUS Fiber has been committed to the growth and prosperity of the Acadiana region, becoming an industry leader and constructing a fiber-optic system which delivers the fastest home internet in the U.S. as well as the nation's first gigabit peer-to-peer intranet. Not only does LUS Fiber's network ensure that residents and businesses have access to the robust connectivity of high-quality, high-speed fiber broadband for communication, online learning, telehealth, managing business in a digital economy, and more, but it also increases the strength and stability of the areas it serves across Acadiana.

                "LUS Fiber has been hugely instrumental in ensuring that Lafayette stays at the forefront of technology and connectivity, and our community and economy have greatly benefited because of this commitment. We look forward to seeing surrounding communities flourish in the same ways that we have with such a robust fiber infrastructure," shares Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory.

About LUS Fiber 
               In 2005, the city of Lafayette, Louisiana, voted in favor of locally provided fiber broadband;  since other providers refused to provide high-quality services, residents and businesses took a stand to ensure that they weren't left behind in the telecommunications arena. Today, LUS Fiber operates one of the nation's largest municipal fiber-to-the-home networks providing internet, video and phone services, utilizing the only technology capable of delivering symmetrical speeds up to 10 Gigabits per second to the end user. As the only publicly owned service provider in Louisiana, LUS Fiber's mission is to create tomorrow's essential broadband infrastructure while advancing today's internet and telecommunications services. For more information, call 337-99-FIBER (337-993-4237), visit www.lusfiber.com or www.fiberforthefuture.com.

SOURCE LUS Fiber