Eleven Louisiana organizations, colleges and local governments are set to receive a wave of free Apple computers meant to help residents get online and get hired, Governor Jeff Landry announced at an event in Alexandria. The catch: nobody seems to agree on exactly how many computers are involved, with competing reports putting the number at either 18,000 or 25,000.
A Big Number, But Which One?
According to KTBS 3, Apple will donate 18,000 computers to the 11 recipient organizations and local governments as part of a push to expand workforce access across the state. But the Louisiana Illuminator reports a different total for the same 11 groups, stating that they will receive 25,000 new computers combined. Neither figure has been reconciled in available reporting, and it remains unclear which total is accurate.
Adding to the confusion, KALB separately reported that Apple and the state plan to give out more than 40,000 free laptops, computers and tablets. It is not clear whether that broader figure describes the same effort as the 18,000- or 25,000-computer donation, a different phase of the program, or an expanded scope altogether.
Funding and the Agencies Behind the Rollout
Whatever the final count, the computers are being acquired using funds from the U.S. Department of Treasury's Capital Project Fund, the Illuminator reports. Connect Louisiana, described as the state's lead office dedicated to expanding broadband internet access, is administering the program alongside Apple and SHI, with the three entities handling distribution of the devices as well as digital-skills training for the selected organizations.
More than half of the computers are designated for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, per the same Illuminator report. The college system plans to make the devices available to residents in 10 parishes that currently lack an adult education site, extending access to communities that would otherwise have to travel for in-person instruction.
Who's Getting the Devices
The list of recipients spans healthcare, higher education, veterans services and local government. Named organizations include the Bastion Veterans Wellness Center, Franklin Parish, Pointe Coupee Parish, Savoie Medical Center, Southeastern Louisiana University, Southern University, Southern University at New Orleans, the Town of Saint Joseph, the Town of White Castle, and West Ascension Parish Hospital, alongside the Louisiana Community and Technical College System itself.
State officials said the organizations were chosen for their deep roots in local communities and their locations in areas affected by the digital divide. The Illuminator reports that each selected group has a connection to its local community and faces a digital divide that needs to be closed.
Landry Frames Donation as Jobs Push
Landry held the announcement event at the Hotel Bentley in Alexandria, framing the donation as part of broader state economic development efforts that he said have increased job prospects across Louisiana. He emphasized directing hardware and instructional resources toward rural communities, and identified students, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and unemployed adults as key target groups for the initiative.
“We're going to give them the devices necessary to be able to play in an economy that is working for Louisiana,” Landry said. He added that the initiative gives people seeking an opportunity the tools to attain it and earn money.
Closing a Persistent Digital Divide
The push arrives against a backdrop of stubborn broadband gaps statewide. As of 2023, only 85% of Louisiana households reported broadband access, compared with a 90% national average, according to an analysis from theadvocate.com. That put Louisiana at the fourth-lowest broadband access rate among all U.S. states that year.
Only six parishes — St. Charles, St. Tammany, Ascension, Lafayette, Livingston and West Baton Rouge — had broadband access above the national household average in 2023, per the same analysis. Claiborne Parish had the lowest rate at 51%, followed by Webster at 61% and West Carroll at 64%; Bienville, Tensas and Union parishes each had 65% access.
The donation is tied to the Étouffée Program, which describes itself as providing eligible Louisiana community anchor institutions with free accessible devices, upgraded surplus equipment, and digital-skills resources, open to qualifying institutions across all 64 Louisiana parishes, according to etouffee.org. The program lists iPad models for accessibility and community use, MacBook models for workforce and vocational use, and iMacs for shared public access and vocational rehabilitation. KALB described the project as an expansion of the state's broader GUMBO program.
