Local and state officials congregated in the Cade Community Center Thursday morning to celebrate the groundbreaking of broadband installation in St. Martin Parish.

Those attending the event were abler to see the benefits of high speed internet up close and personal due to the facility being the first place in St. Martin Parish that had successfully installed the broadband that will slowly roll out to other parts of the parish.

Gov. John Bel Edwards and St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars were the keynote speakers for the groundbreaking, and both showed clear signs of excitement at the broadband expansion in the parish that will be happening as a result of the Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities (GUMBO) program.

“This is a special occasion,” Cedars said at the event. “Technically it’s a celebration of Louisiana’s first groundbreaking of the GUMBO project.”

Cajun Broadband was chosen to proceed with the installation of fiber after proposing to install 73,000 feet of fiber to the home that will allow more than 700 homes and 75 businesses to opt in to better internet.

“We’re doing this now because we are serious about bringing broadband to our rural communities,” Cedars said. “It’s a validation that even a small rural community, with the help of state leaders, can take a positive big step.”

Gov. John Bel Edwards also announced an additional $8 million investment to provide high speed internet in St. Martin, Iberia, Acadia and Evangeline parishes. Cajun Broadband announced earlier this year that it would be expanding into the Coteau region of Iberia Parish.

“Often you see Louisiana lagging the country in things, well one area I think we are leading is broadband,” Edwards said.

Chris Disher with Cajun Broadband said the St. Martin Parish initiative is just part of the many projects lined up for the GUMBO grant and Cajun Broadband. The company will be installing high speed internet 8,000 homes with $20 million in project funding.