BayouBuzz.com reports that the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative (LONI) Board of Regents have approved a governance plan for the statewide fiber-optics network. This will allow LONI to connect Louisiana researchers and university-based supercomputers to the National LambdaRail (NLR), a consortium of research universities and technology companies deploying a nationwide networking infrastructure to support research in science, engineering, health care, and education.