The Connect Score: How We Measure Louisiana's Internet
Published · 4 min read
Raw FCC data tells you whether a location is “served.” It doesn’t tell you whether the service is any good, whether there’s competition keeping prices honest, or whether residents are actually able to subscribe. We built the Connect Score to answer a broader question: how well-connected is this parish, really?
The Connect Score is a composite metric, scored 0–100, that rolls four dimensions of broadband health into a single number. It gives us a consistent way to compare parishes, track progress over time, and identify where investment is needed most.
Why a Composite Score
A parish can look good on one metric and terrible on another. Claiborne Parish is 97.9% “served” by the FCC’s definition, but only 0.3% of that coverage is fiber. The infrastructure is aging copper and cable, which means the speed and reliability residents experience is far below what the coverage map suggests.
On the other hand, a parish might have excellent fiber availability but low adoption rates, perhaps because of affordability barriers or because residents aren’t aware of the options. A single metric can’t capture that. The Connect Score can.
The Four Components
Each component is normalized to a 0–100 scale, then weighted according to its importance in determining real-world connectivity:
Availability (35%)
Percentage of locations served at 100/20 Mbps or better, based on FCC BDC filing data. This is the foundation: if service isn’t available, nothing else matters.
Quality (25%)
Technology mix, weighted by capability. Fiber scores highest, followed by cable (DOCSIS 3.1), fixed wireless, and copper/DSL. A parish where 60% of coverage is fiber scores significantly higher than one where 60% is DSL, even if both report the same “served” percentage.
Competition (20%)
Number of distinct providers available to the average location. Markets with 3+ providers tend to have lower prices and better customer service. Monopoly and duopoly markets score lower.
Adoption (20%)
Percentage of households with a broadband subscription, drawn from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. High availability means little if residents can’t afford or don’t use the service.
The Score Range Across Louisiana
Across all 64 parishes, Connect Scores range from 51 to 80, with a state average of approximately 67.
- Lowest: Grant Parish at 51, driven by low fiber penetration (11.3%) and limited provider competition
- Highest: Ascension Parish at 80, with strong fiber availability, multiple providers, and high adoption rates
- State average: ~67, reflecting a state where most parishes have basic coverage but many lack the quality and competition that define a healthy broadband market
How to Read the Score
As a general guide:
- Above 70: Good competitive market. Multiple providers, meaningful fiber presence, strong adoption. These parishes are well-positioned.
- 60–70: Mixed picture. Coverage may be adequate, but quality, competition, or adoption is dragging the score down. These parishes have specific, identifiable gaps.
- Below 60: Significant gaps in one or more dimensions. These are the parishes where BEAD investment will have the most transformative impact.
Check your address: The Connect Score describes a parish-level picture. For personalized results at your address, use the GetConnectedLA address checker.
Data Sources and Update Cadence
The Connect Score draws from two primary data sources:
- FCC Broadband Data Collection: Released biannually (June and December filings), covering availability, technology type, and provider presence at the location level
- Census American Community Survey: Released annually, providing household-level broadband adoption rates by county/parish
We recalculate Connect Scores after each FCC data release. The current scores reflect the June 2024 BDC filing and 2023 ACS estimates. As BEAD construction progresses, we expect meaningful score movement, particularly in parishes currently below 60.
Explore all 64 parishes in the parish directory or compare scores on the homepage ledger.
Methodology developed by BroadbandLouisiana using public data from the FCC Broadband Data Collection and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey.