Broussard official says 'No way' to LUS Fiber proposal

UPDATE as of 2:15 p.m.

Officials with the city of Broussard fired back this afternoon at a proposal to extend Lafayette Utilities System's fiber optics network to other cities in Lafayette Parish.

A statement was sent to The Daily Advertiser by public relations specialist Amy Jones on behalf of Johnnie Foco, Broussard councilman-at-large and mayor pro-temp that said:

"There is no way we are going to give LUS the money to extend their fiber lines in Broussard for them to profit off of our infrastructure and the business of our citizens.

"If they are not financially solvent enough to be able to lay down the infrastructure necessary to expand their services, then they are not prepared to grow."

Broussard has more than 700 businesses and thousands of residents, making it attractive to LUS Fiber operations, Foco said in the statement.

"But the same rules and conditions that apply for other Internet providers will apply to LUS. We wouldn't pay for infrastructure for LUS's competitors," he added.

Companies like Cox Communications "have made the infrastructure investment because it is good for their bottom line. If LUS wants to be seen as a major player in the technology world, then they need to act like it as well," Foco's statement concluded.

Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel on Wednesday announced a proposal to expand LUS fiber optics lines to other municipalities in the parish. But Broussard was basically excluded because Durel's plan requires any municipality to have an annexation agreement with Lafayette and be a "good neighbor."

Broussard does not have an annexation agreement with Lafayette and has gone to court with Lafayette over annexations. Broussard and LUS also clashed when LUS discovered Broussard, which buys water from LUS, was not being charged at one meter.

LUS Director Terry Huval said LUS Fiber will not pay for or incur debt to extend fiber optics outside the city of Lafayette. It will be up to each city to pay for the lines, he said.

UPDATE:

A proposal announced Wednesday to offer Lafayette Utilities System Fiber high-speed internet service outside the city does not include unincorporated parts of the parish, LUS Director Terry Huval said.

The only way other cities will get fiber optics is if that city finds a way to pay to extend the LUS lines, he said. LUS will not incur debt or make an investment outside the city because the 2004 bond to fund fiber is a city one, Huval said.

LUS Fiber has been extended along every street in the city of Lafayette that existed in the city at the time the 2004 bond was approved by voters, Huval said. The bond sale generated enough money to lay fiber on streets that existed in 2004, not beyond, he said.

Since then, new subdivisions have been added and areas annexed into the city of Lafayette. Those areas do not have LUS Fiber at this time, Huval said. That's a small percentage and the plan is to ultimately get there, he said.

Residents of apartment complexes in the city of Lafayette also don't have LUS Fiber. Huval said the apartment complex owners have to want it.

Apartments aren't on city streets, so fiber was not extended to them. Several complexes in the city worked with LUS Fiber and offer it to their residents, Huval said.

But other apartment owners, particularly those owned by businesses from outside Lafayette, have package deals with other providers like AT&T or Cox Communications to serve all of their apartments, Huval said. In some cases, the apartment complex owner gets a commission from the private provider, he said.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Municipalities outside the city of Lafayette and outside the parish -- to the possible exclusion of Broussard -- may soon have the opportunity to connect to high-speed Internet service through LUS Fiber.

City-Parish President Joey Durel made the announcement Wednesday in his final State of the Parish Address.

Businesses in the city of Youngsville could be the first to connect to Lafayette Utilities System Fiber, but the city's leaders have to find a way to pay the cost of extending the fiber lines, LUS Director Terry Huval said. The project must not add debt to the LUS Fiber system, he said.

Broussard Mayor Charles Langlinais' poor relationship with Durel and the city of Lafayette may cost that city the opportunity for LUS Fiber because of prerequisites which include being a "good neighbor" to Lafayette and having an annexation agreement with Lafayette.

"Considering that we are currently in the process of executing infrastructure projects that extend into Lafayette at no cost to the city of Lafayette, we are confident that we meet the qualifications of a good neighbor," Amy Jones, a public relations spokesperson wrote on behalf of Langlinais in response to The Daily Advertiser's request for comment.

"And considering Broussard is the second largest tax base in the parish, not extending LUS Fiber to Broussard would not make financial sense. We look forward to working with Lafayette now and for many years to come," she concluded.

Durel is entering his final year of his third term as leader of Lafayette Consolidated Government. Term limits prevent him from seeking re-election.

In his final State of the Parish Address Wednesday, part of TheInd Lecture Series, Durel reflected on his administration's achievements and discussed unfinished business.

Offering affordable high-speed Internet service to residents and businesses in the city of Lafayette via Lafayette Utilities System's fiber optics network was one of the first big issues the Durel administration tackled after taking office.