OnTheIssuesLogo

John Bel Edwards on Technology

 

 


We are leading America in broadband expansion

Another way we can improve our workforce is by ensuring that every person in Louisiana has access to high speed internet. We committed to close the digital divide by 2029, and we are well on our way to accomplishing that goal. We've put $177 million of federal funding to work and partnered with private internet providers to invest more than $300 million to expand broadband to 80,000 unserved addresses. We are leading America in broadband expansion.
Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the Louisiana legislature , Apr 10, 2023

GUMBO grants will eliminate digital divide by 2029

It's also with a focus on the future that we are working to eliminate the digital divide--a goal I have set to accomplish by 2029. That's why my administration worked closely with Rep. Deshotel last year to create the Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities grant program, or GUMBO for short. This program, will provide grants to facilitate the deployment of broadband infrastructure, connecting more than 471,000 unserved residents in our state.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to the Louisiana legislature , Mar 14, 2022

Fund high speed, afford broadband for everyone in Louisiana

I want to make sure that we are maximizing federal dollars to serve as many people as possible. That includes capitalizing on funding for high speed, affordable broadband for every single person in Louisiana.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to Louisiana legislature , Apr 12, 2021

Gas tax to pay for transportation and coastal infrastructure

Louisiana is ranked last in the nation for state investment in transportation. One of the problems is that the value of our gas tax has plummeted over the years. There has not been an increase in state fuel tax revenue since 1989, resulting in a 56 percent reduction in buying power from inflation alone. We've got to restore the value of our gas tax if we expect to make any headway on improving our infrastructure. Otherwise, we'll continue to lag behind and our roads and bridges will be clogged with traffic congestion.

I urge you to take a serious look at what we can do to better invest in our state's roads, bridges and ports going forward.

One of the easiest decisions you can make this session is passing the 2017 Coastal Master Plan and the Coastal Annual Plan. We are in a race against time to save our coast, and the difference between success and failure lies in the quickness of our response and the boldness of our actions.

Source: 2017 Louisiana State of the State address , Apr 10, 2017

Cut $7B in tax giveaways which cause unsafe roads & bridges

Edwards stressed his plans to fairly cut the unproductive portions of the nearly $7 billion in annual tax giveaways so that, "we can address the structural problems in our budget and end the practice of putting a band-aid on this serious problem which is now causing our roads and bridges to be less safe, our hospital emergency rooms to close, and our students to pay 90% more tuition than when Bobby Jindal took office.
Source: Response to 2015 Louisiana State of the State address , Sep 9, 2015

Legislate how personal information is used on the Internet

Source: 2006 State Congressional National Political Awareness Test , Nov 1, 2006

Other governors on Technology: John Bel Edwards on other issues:
LA Gubernatorial:
Sharon Hewitt
Shawn Wilson
LA Senatorial:
Bill Cassidy
Gary Chambers
Jamie Davis
John Fleming
John Neely Kennedy
Julia Letlow
Luke Mixon

Abortion
Budget/Economy
Civil Rights
Corporations
Crime
Drugs
Education
Energy/Oil
Environment
Families/Children
Foreign Policy
Free Trade
Govt. Reform
Gun Control
Health Care
Homeland Security
Immigration
Infrastructure/Technology
Jobs
Local Issues
Principles/Values
Social Security
Tax Reform
War/Iraq/Mideast
Welfare/Poverty

[Title9]





Page last updated: Jun 09, 2026; copyright 1999-2022 Jesse Gordon and OnTheIssues.org