NextLINK presents Gumbo 2 BEAD plan to Caddo Parish; company cites $18.5M subgrant and 1,764 locations locally

Ebony Cooksey, a market development manager for NextLINK Internet, briefed the Caddo Parish Commission on the company’s Gumbo 2 BEAD subgrant work and its planned broadband deployment across northwest Louisiana.

Cooksey said NextLINK’s Louisiana subgrant totals $18,500,000 and that the BEAD-awarded locations statewide number 7,460, with 1,764 specifically in Bossier and Caddo parishes. She described the deployment as primarily fixed-wireless under Gumbo 2, explained how modern 3.5 GHz generation-2 equipment improves tree-canopy penetration, and noted that some sites under the grant will remain in development through 2028.

Commissioners pressed on service expectations and affordability. When asked about pricing relative to competitors, Cooksey said the company offers tiered pricing that can range roughly from about $35 per month on lower tiers up to about $150 for premium tiers; she said she would follow up with more precise rate information for parish officials to share with constituents.

Cooksey urged the parish to help by promoting service availability to residents, facilitating permitting and designating a local broadband liaison to speed right-of-way and tower-siting decisions. She also said the provider can pursue coverage beyond awarded BEAD locations where needs are identified and coordinated with parish leaders.

The presentation covered technical trade-offs between fiber (future proof) and fixed wireless (faster deployment), redundancy considerations for disaster resiliency, and the company’s ability to show parish-specific coverage via its real-time maps during follow-up meetings.