High-speed internet projects coming to Jeff Davis
Published 1:01 pm Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Separate high-speed internet projects will soon provide more options for businesses and residents in Jeff Davis Parish.
The city of Jennings has partnered with Lafayette Utility Systems (LUS) Fiber to bring fiber internet to the city while Swyft Fiber is working to install high-speed service lines in underserved rural areas of Jeff Davis Parish.
LUS Chief Engineer Eric Grimmett recently shared progress with the Jennings City Council, noting that most of the conduit system is in place, with just a few exceptions for railroad and I-10 crossings. The primary feed will come from Basile, and cables have already been run to Old Evangeline Highway, he said.
“We are just shy of 50 percent of our cable being pulled,” Grimmett said. “In parallel to that, we have to set up a building here. We have equipment that is ordered and in our warehouse that is ready to be put into use.”
The target completion date is Oct. 31.
The project has been in the works since 2001, with considerable effort from Jennings Mayor Henry Guinn to secure the highly sought-after high-speed fiber internet for the city. In 2022, officials collaborated with the Imperial Calcasieu Regional Planning Commission to seek a $3.6 million Economic Development Administration grant to help offset project costs. The hard work culminated in October 2023, when the city council approved a cooperative endeavor agreement with LUS to install high-speed fiber focusing on public facilities and work began in February.
Once completed, public facilities like the Jeff Davis Parish School Board office, Jennings schools, Jeff Davis Parish Police Jury office, Jeff Davis Parish courthouse and Jennings City Hall will have access to affordable high-speed fiber.
Some residents and businesses within 500 to 1,000 feet of the main cable line may also be eligible for LUS services, according to Grimmett. If there is a sufficient interest or return on investment on a street without existing fiber lines, the company will consider extending underground services to that area, he said.
Residents interested in the service are encouraged to visit lftfiber.com and complete a form to express their interest. Guinn said his office has already received numerous calls from interested individuals, and believes the competitive pricing structure will be very appealing to the general public.
In parallel, Swyft Fiber is installing high-speed internet service lines in rural areas of the parish, thanks to a Gumbo 2.0 grant from the Louisiana Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity.
Swyft Fiber Project Manager Jacob Vanderford recently informed police jurors that work has begun on La. 383 and La. 101 in Iowa and will soon extend into Jeff Davis Parish. Most of the installation will occur on rural roads west of U.S. 165, with some drilling east of the highway on Gro Racca Road and Cormier Village Road, north of Lacassine
Vanderford cautioned that installation work may cause some temporary disruptions in rural areas.
“When they start installing lines, it’s going to look like a bomb went off in your town,” Vanderford said. “…It’s going to be ugly at first. But when we’re done, it will be like we’ve never been here. It will look like it always has.”
He said the company is committed to repairing any damage they are responsible for, including restoring yards and driveways to their original conditions.