In an age when the Internet and its information seem to permeate every area in the world, some areas of Louisiana still can’t access this tool.
LSU AgCenter and the Louisiana Division of Administration’s Office of Information Technology have teamed up in Connect My Louisiana, an educational initiative, to extend broadband technology and knowledge of its uses to Louisiana citizens who have limited or no access to the Internet.
Connect My Louisiana is funded by a four-year grant provided by the Louisiana Division of Administration.
The project was founded last year to address a severe lack of broadband Internet access in some areas of Louisiana.
Through research collected from participating broadband service providers, the Louisiana Division of Administration identified 18 parishes without a significant broadband presence.
The 18 parishes include Allen, Avoyelles, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Franklin, Jefferson Davis, LaSalle, Madison, Morehouse, Pointe Coupee, Richland, St. Helena, Tensas, Washington and West Carroll.
Bruce Garner, LSU AgCenter education awareness coordinator, said there are problems getting a DSL or cable signal to many homes in these areas because they are mainly rural. However, Connect My Louisiana aims to publicize other technologies that can bring broadband Internet to these areas, such as satellite and cell phone technology.
Educators from the LSU AgCenter travel to these parishes and teach local residents about broadband Internet access and the benefits of using it in their businesses through courses ranging from an introductory course, “What is Broadband Technology?” to “Blogging for Business.”
Garner said part of the grant for this initiative was written for economic development so an e-commerce course is offered to show small business owners how to use the Internet to market and expand their businesses.
“This can be achieved by purchasing a domain name and designing a simple website through WordPress, creating a Facebook page or using eBay, Etsy and Craigslist to sell their products,” Garner said.
Connect My Louisiana is not just aimed at educating small business owners in these less-connected areas. The initiative also strives to educate the general public about the benefits of broadband Internet in their personal lives.
Garner taught an introductory broadband course to a group of senior citizens and taught one grandmother how to create a Facebook account and send a friend request to her two grandchildren who live in California.
And it only took two minutes.
“We take broadband Internet for granted. Some of the residents in these parishes still have to use dial-up, which can take forever,” Garner said.
Connect My Louisiana teachers survey residents about their current Internet service following each course, so they can present that information to wireless cable and phone company vendors.
Garner said the majority of rural residents are unhappy with their current Internet capabilities.
“We want broadband Internet technology companies to receive this information and extend their services to these areas where residents want more access to broadband technology,” Garner said.
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Contact Lea Ciskowski at [email protected]