Police Jury President says fiber will lower costs and provide choice.

For Red River Parish Police Jury President Tray Murray, the biggest benefit of Pelican
Broadband’s ongoing fiber expansion project in Red River Parish is the most obvious: giving
more households in the parish the opportunity to connect faster and more reliably with the
wider world.

“Having fiber to every house in Red River Parish is the goal,” Murray said.

Pelican is in the midst of a major fiber-optic network expansion across the parish, a project
expected to continue into 2028. Phase 1 began this summer, with construction and installation
continuing in Coushatta, and is scheduled for completion in June 2027. Phase 2, bringing fiber
internet service to Provencal and Hagewood, is scheduled to begin in January 2027 and
continue through March 2028.

Pelican’s broadband fiber installations will begin on September 25. Service will be scheduled
on a first-come, first-served basis. Neighbors who are interested in checking availability for
their neighborhood and signing up for an installation can visit: pelicanbroadband.com/gumbo2.
The project is already delivering something parish residents have rarely had when it comes to
internet service: options. Murray said that prior to the fiber expansion, service providers were
very limited.

“It wasn’t good,” Murray said. “As a business owner, we didn’t have any choice.”
Murray, a local State Farm insurance agent, said dependable high-speed internet is important
for modern business, especially as customers and services have moved online. “[Fiber]
internet opens the door to us having customers all over the state,” he said. “I mean, nobody
wants to come into the office anymore.”

Like some other business owners in the area, Murray currently uses Starlink satellite internet.
He said he pays about $140 a month, but anticipates the new fiber service to be half that or
less. Murray said he plans to switch to Pelican Broadband fiber as soon as service is
available.

“They just now laid fiber on my road,” Murray said. “I won’t be able to sign up until November,
but I will sign up for sure.”

Fiber-optic internet service uses light to transmit large amounts of data quickly and reliably.

For users, that can mean smoother streaming and video calls, while also supporting remote
work, online education, telehealth, better home security and other services. Murray believes
bringing those capabilities to more residents of Red River Parish will help position the parish
for economic opportunity.

“We’re a small parish, but we do have good industry here,” he said. “We’ve got great local
businesses, and we’re right in the middle of the Haynesville Shale. This fiber project can’t do
anything but help.”

Red River Parish residents can learn more, check availability in their neighborhood and sign
up for updates at pelicanbroadband.com/gumbo2.

---