The Lafayette Convention and Visitors Center, located in the Evangeline Thruway median at the city’s northern gateway, is the first commercial customer of LUS Fiber. LUS Fiber spokesperson Amy Broussard says LCVC is signed up for LUS’ Internet service, which provides 50 megabit upload and download speeds at a cost of $119.95 a month. LUS has yet to announce any phone or cable service for businesses. LCVC Director Gerald Breaux says the service was installed last Saturday for 16 computers at the office. “They needed a kind of test site, and we volunteered,” Breaux says. As for the service itself, Breaux is already singing its praise. “Unbelieveable,” he says. “It’s been a major difference [in speed] and the whole group at LUS has been incredibly cooperative to get this whole thing going.” Plans are already in the works for a media event or open house demonstration of the service at LCVC. “We want everyone to come in and see how great it really is,” Breaux says.
Thus far, LCVC, a parish government agency, is the only business that has been offered the LUS Fiber service. This follows LUS’ slow rollout strategy that allows it to carefully monitor and work out any service issues before expanding its clientele. “This is a toe in the water,” Broussard says. As to when and where LUS plans to begin offering and marketing its telecommunications service to businesses, Broussard would only say “soon” and that “it’ll be within our serviceable area. Right now the areas that are turned up and can receive service [residentially] is where we’ll start with business as well.”