LA Local Fiber Consortium — Louisiana's $1.36B BEAD Cooperative Build
The LA Local Fiber Consortium is a coordinated cooperative of five Louisiana rural carriers — DEMCO (Dixie Electric Membership Corp), Reserve Telephone, Star Telephone, T1 Connections, and Cameron Communications — that pooled their BEAD applications and landed a combined $1.36 billion across Louisiana's $1.36B BEAD allocation. That's not a typo: the consortium covers essentially the entire Louisiana rural BEAD footprint. Here's what each member offers, real pricing where published, and how it stacks up against Cox, AT&T Fiber, and Sparklight.
The short version
- Who: 5-member rural carrier cooperative — DEMCO (electric co-op turned fiber), Reserve Telephone, Star Telephone, T1 Connections, Cameron Communications.
- BEAD haul: $1.36 billion combined — essentially Louisiana's entire BEAD allocation.
- Why a consortium? Each member operates a regional service area. Together they cover rural LA without overlap or duplication. State broadband office loved it because it eliminated competing bids.
- Tech: XGS-PON fiber — symmetric, multi-gig capable.
- Pricing: Varies by member — DEMCO and Cameron publish flat pricing; smaller members quote per ZIP.
- Contract: None at any member. No data caps.
- Our recommendation: 🟢 GREEN — sign up if any consortium member lights up your address. Co-op/community-owned model = the lowest-risk fiber pick in Louisiana. They aren't going anywhere because they're owned by the customers they serve.
Consortium members and their footprints
| Member | Footprint | Ownership | Published pricing? |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEMCO | East/Central LA (Baton Rouge metro + 7 parishes) | Electric cooperative (member-owned) | Yes — flat tiers |
| Cameron Communications | Southwest LA (Cameron, Calcasieu, Beauregard parishes) | Privately held, ~100 years old | Yes — flat tiers |
| Reserve Telephone | St. John the Baptist, St. James, Lafourche parishes | Privately held | Quote per ZIP |
| Star Telephone | North LA (LaSalle, Catahoula, Concordia) | Privately held | Quote per ZIP |
| T1 Connections | Pointe Coupee + West Feliciana | Privately held | Quote per ZIP |
Pricing — DEMCO & Cameron (the two with published rates)
DEMCO Fiber tiers (verified May 2026 at demco.net/fiber):
| Tier | Speed (down/up) | Monthly (member) | Monthly (non-member) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 Mbps | 500 / 500 Mbps | $54.95/mo | $64.95/mo |
| 1 Gig | 1,000 / 1,000 Mbps | $74.95/mo | $84.95/mo |
| 2 Gig | 2,000 / 2,000 Mbps | $94.95/mo | $104.95/mo |
DEMCO electric co-op members get a $10/mo discount because the same membership covers both services. If you already get your power from DEMCO, you're already a member.
Cameron Communications tiers (verified May 2026 at camcominc.com):
| Tier | Speed (down/up) | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 200 Mbps | 200 / 200 Mbps | $49.95/mo |
| 500 Mbps | 500 / 500 Mbps | $69.95/mo |
| 1 Gig | 1,000 / 1,000 Mbps | $89.95/mo |
Every plan: no contract, no data cap, equipment included. BEAD-built addresses get $0 install.
How the consortium compares to Cox, AT&T, and Sparklight
The honest head-to-head at the gigabit tier in Louisiana:
| Provider | 1 Gbps plan | Upload | Contract | Data cap | Equipment | Price after Y1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEMCO Fiber | $74.95/mo (member) | 1,000 Mbps (symmetric) | No | No | Included | $74.95 (flat) |
| Cameron Fiber | $89.95/mo | 1,000 Mbps (symmetric) | No | No | Included | $89.95 (flat) |
| AT&T Fiber | $80/mo | 1,000 Mbps (symmetric) | None | No | $10/mo gateway | $80 (flat — but +$10 gateway) |
| Cox Communications | $100/mo promo / $120 retail | 35 Mbps (cable) | Promo expires Y2 | 1.25 TB | $14/mo modem rental | $120/mo |
| Sparklight (Cable ONE) | $90/mo | 50 Mbps (cable) | None | 1.5 TB | $11/mo modem | $90 (flat) |
| T-Mobile Home Internet | ~$50/mo | 15-50 Mbps | No | Deprioritized after 1.2 TB | Included | $50 (flat) |
The honest read: DEMCO at $74.95 (member) beats AT&T Fiber by $5/mo with no gateway fee — net $15/mo cheaper for matched specs. DEMCO and Cameron both crush Cox on upload (symmetric gig vs Cox's 35 Mbps) and crush Cox on price after the promo expires. T-Mobile is the lean pick if you don't need symmetric speeds.
Timeline — Louisiana's coordinated build
- 2022-2023: Each member begins fiber buildout on smaller state/federal grants (CPF, RDOF).
- 2024: Louisiana Office of Broadband Development & Connectivity (ConnectLA) coordinates BEAD applications as a consortium.
- 2025: $1.36B BEAD provisional award announced — full Louisiana allocation goes to the consortium.
- 2026: BEAD construction begins. Member-by-member rollout. DEMCO already has live customers.
- 2028 target: All BEAD-funded Louisiana addresses passed with fiber.
Rick's installer take — why a co-op-led consortium is the lowest-risk pick
I've installed for a lot of rural customers over 28 years. The cleanest experiences I've ever had were with electric and telephone cooperatives — they're member-owned, the board has to face the customers at the annual meeting, and they don't have a private-equity exit strategy hanging over the operation. Two reasons the LA Local Fiber Consortium is one of the best-positioned BEAD wins in the country:
- Cooperative ownership. DEMCO is owned by its electric customers. Cameron is privately held but has been in the same community for ~100 years. These aren't operators looking to flip in 5 years — they're embedded.
- Coordinated buildout. No two members are bidding on the same ZIP. The state broadband office loved this because it eliminated redundant builds and made every BEAD dollar productive.
- Track record before BEAD. All five had live fiber customers before BEAD came along. They aren't startups guessing how to build a network — they're scaling something they already do well.
If any consortium member lights up at your Louisiana address: take the fiber. You'll pay less than Cox retail, you'll get 20-30x the upload speed, the install is free, and the operator isn't going anywhere.
How to check your address
- Identify your local consortium member from the table above (by parish).
- Visit that member's site: demco.net/fiber, camcominc.com, or search "[member name] fiber" for the smaller carriers.
- Use the address-check tool — most will tell you "live", "coming 2026", or "coming 2027".
- Cross-reference with our live Coverage Grid to see what other ISPs are also at your address.