CONNECTLA Gumbo 2.0 Broadband Program Management & Compliance Support
Project Description
Customer Challenge
Nearly 29% of Louisiana’s population lives in rural areas with limited or no access to reliable, high-speed internet service. ConnectLA was responsible for administering a statewide program involving substantial federal funding, numerous subgrantees, multiple jurisdictions, and 127,108 eligible locations, including residences, businesses, schools, hospitals, and law enforcement agencies across Louisiana. The agency needed scalable processes for reviewing applications, monitoring risk, tracking reimbursements, coordinating permits, and maintaining compliance with National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) requirements.
A critical part of this responsibility involved supervising, preparing, and verifying subgrantees’ National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation before submitting it to NTIA. ConnectLA required an experienced partner with broadband, environmental, engineering, grant management, and technology expertise to maintain accuracy and consistency while moving projects efficiently from application through construction.
Our Solution
HGA assembled an integrated team of project and grant management professionals, engineers, construction specialists, permitting experts, compliance advisors, software engineers and GIS developers to support ConnectLA. The team conducted ISP prequalification and application reviews, performed risk assessments, monitored subgrantee compliance, reviewed reimbursement requests, coordinated utility and right-of-way requirements, and developed standard operating procedures and training materials aligned with NTIA regulations.
HGA also built a proprietary NEPA-specific GIS compliance platform that converts subgrantee shapefiles and project information into standardized environmental review packages designed to integrate with NTIA’s Environmental Screening and Permitting Tracking Tool (ESAPTT). The platform provides ConnectLA with live insight into environmental reviews, permit status, pole attachments, make-ready work, and project timelines.
To support broader program administration, HGA implemented BEAD Ops, its purpose-built broadband grants management platform. Customizable dashboards, assignment tools, audit-ready tracking, GIS integration, and federal reporting exports give program leadership a centralized view of each project. HGA’s permitting specialists also worked directly with subgrantees and local governments to develop model permits, franchise templates, make-ready checklists, and practical workflows that could be implemented immediately. HGA’s permitting technology was later selected as a Top 10 submission in the Council on Environmental Quality’s Permitting Innovators Call for Solutions.
Value Delivered
HGA’s support has helped position Louisiana as a national leader in broadband program implementation. Louisiana became the
first state to achieve several major BEAD milestones, including receiving approval of its Initial and Final Proposals, signing grant agreements with subgrantees, distributing funding for initial milestone completion, submitting projects through ESAPTT, receiving Environmental and Historic Preservation and NEPA approvals for BEAD-funded projects, and beginning BEAD-funded construction.
The American Enterprise Institute ranked Louisiana’s GUMBO program as the nation’s top-performing broadband program for transparency, efficiency, and accountability. Through approximately 112 projects, the program is expected to serve 127,108 broadband-serviceable locations and community anchor institutions. The initiative represents nearly $500 million in
BEAD deployment investment, supplemented by approximately $365 million in commitments from subgrantees.
By combining experienced personnel with proven technology, HGA gave ConnectLA the capacity to manage complex work across numerous subgrantees and jurisdictions simultaneously. Its integrated approach improved visibility, standardized compliance documentation, accelerated environmental and permitting reviews, and helped move broadband infrastructure from planning into active construction across Louisiana’s rural and underserved communities.
Client
Project Timeline
Solution
HGA assembled an integrated team of project and grant management professionals, engineers, construction specialists, permitting experts, compliance advisors, software engineers and GIS developers to support ConnectLA. The team conducted ISP prequalification and application reviews, performed risk assessments, monitored subgrantee compliance, reviewed reimbursement requests, coordinated utility and right-of-way requirements, and developed standard operating procedures and training materials aligned with NTIA regulations.
HGA also built a proprietary NEPA-specific GIS compliance platform that converts subgrantee shapefiles and project information into standardized environmental review packages designed to integrate with NTIA’s Environmental Screening and Permitting Tracking Tool (ESAPTT). The platform provides ConnectLA with live insight into environmental reviews, permit status, pole attachments, make-ready work, and project timelines.
To support broader program administration, HGA implemented BEAD Ops, its purpose-built broadband grants management platform. Customizable dashboards, assignment tools, audit-ready tracking, GIS integration, and federal reporting exports give program leadership a centralized view of each project. HGA’s permitting specialists also worked directly with subgrantees and local governments to develop model permits, franchise templates, make-ready checklists, and practical workflows that could be implemented immediately. HGA’s permitting technology was later selected as a Top 10 submission in the Council on Environmental Quality’s Permitting Innovators Call for Solutions.