Construction on Pelican Broadband’s fiber internet expansion project continues to move forward in Red River Parish, with crews now actively working in Coushatta’s Old Town neighborhood and preparing to begin the next phase of construction along the Highway 155/Esperanza area on July 3. Residents can also sign up for updates or check availability in their neighborhood at this website.

The project, which officially launched June 1, is part of a two-year effort to expand high-speed fiber internet service to more than 1,200 homes and businesses across Red River Parish through Louisiana’s GUMBO 2.0 initiative and the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program.

Since construction began, residents in Old Town have seen utility crews installing underground fiber infrastructure as work progresses through the neighborhood. During construction, there were two incidents of minor damage to water and sewer lines. Crew members repaired the lines on the same day, and Pelican Broadband crews helped the repair team. Pelican Broadband says the project remains on schedule, with crews set to expand into the Highway 155/Esperanza area beginning July 3.

Residents in the upcoming construction zone can expect to see utility vehicles as fiber installation gets underway. Following work along Highway 155/Esperanza, construction will continue in phases across additional areas of Red River Parish, including Springville, Highway 71 South, 480 South, Highway 784, and Edgefield. The parish-wide project is expected to be completed by June 2027. Residents can check this interactive map to see a street-level view of progress on the project.

Once finished, the new fiber network will provide internet service capable of supporting remote work, online learning, telehealth, streaming and other high-bandwidth applications for residents and businesses.

Pelican Broadband encourages residents to follow construction progress using its interactive online project map, which provides street-level updates on active work areas. Community members can also sign up for project updates and check service availability in their neighborhood through the company’s website.

The Red River Parish expansion represents a $5.3 million investment in local broadband infrastructure and is one of several rural connectivity projects funded through the BEAD Program, which aims to bring reliable, high-speed internet access to underserved communities across Louisiana.