© 2024 Red River Radio
Voice of the Community
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

VP Harris Announces Millions For Broadband And Flood Resilience Investment In Louisiana

Vice President Kamala Harris and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards visit a local library during the Vice President's visit to Landry Parish on 03.21.22.
Courtesy: Office of the Governor of Louisiana
Vice President Kamala Harris and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards visit a local library during the Vice President's visit to Landry Parish on 03.21.22.

VP HARRIS IN LOUISIANA - Vice President Kamala Harris paid a visit to Louisiana yesterday to celebrate a $30 million federal grant that will fund high-speed internet for 11 rural Acadiana communities. Speaking before a large crowd at the Sunset Community Center, Harris said funds will be used to build high-speed fiber-optic internet infrastructure for some 22,000 households in rural Acadiana whose areas do not have access to reasonable internet speeds.

"Investments in high-speed internet that we celebrate today, along with what we will continue to do to expand or work around things like climate resilience with the bi-partisan infrastructure law, will have a transformative impact on communities across our country," Harris said.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to a crowd gathered at the Community Center of Sunset, Louisiana on 03.21.22.
Courtesy: City of Sunset, Louisiana
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to a crowd gathered at the Community Center of Sunset, Louisiana on 03.21.22.

The $30 million grant is coming from the federal Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration as part of its $277 million Broadband Infrastructure Program. Gov. John Bel Edwards, joined Harris in Acadiana Monday and said winning such a large federal grant was an enormous achievement for the Acadiana Planning Commission. Harris also announced that $40 million dollars from the bi-partisan infrastructure law will be made available for building flood resilience for Acadiana.

Chuck Smith brings more than 30 years' broadcast and media experience to Red River Radio. He began his career as a radio news reporter and transitioned to television journalism and newsmagazine production. Chuck studied mass communications at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia and motion picture / television production at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has also taught writing for television at York Technical College in Rock Hill, South Carolina and video / film production at Centenary College of Louisiana, Shreveport.