Folks in southeastern New Mexico can look forward to better broadband access in the not too distant future. On Thursday, July 6, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced “…plans to expand broadband access … [statewide] after [New Mexico received] a $675 million award from the Biden Administration and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” states a press release issued by the governor’s office.
New Mexico will submit a plan to the federal government by the end of 2023 that outlines how the $675,372,311 in federal funding will be used. “The state will focus projects on enhancing connectivity in unserved and underserved communities, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and tribal lands,” states the press release.
Gov. Lujan Grisham commented, “It’s time to bring the next level of reliable, high-speed broadband internet to New Mexico. We have already been investing heavily in broadband across the state [through the Connect New Mexico pilot program], and this new funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will allow us to accomplish our biggest goals and projects – like giving all New Mexicans a chance to access broadband in the next three years.”
Senior Advisor to President Joe Biden and White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu added, “Access to high-speed internet is no longer a luxury – it’s a necessity to fully participate in today’s society, and President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is ensuring all Americans have access to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service no matter where they live.”
Unfortunately, access to high speed internet is limited at best in some areas of New Mexico. Landrieu paints the picture clearly. He said, “Families should not have to drive their children to the parking lot of a restaurant so they can do their homework.”
Such a scenario, however, happens often in the Land of Enchantment. Statistically, approximately 23% of households statewide do not have access to “reliable” internet, states the press release. Twenty-three percent equates to about 1 in 5 New Mexicans – some 400,000 people.
A BroadbandNow report shows that New Mexico ranks among the bottom 10 U.S. states providing affordable internet.
Lea County Data
According to data published at the Broadband for New Mexico website, only 78% of Lea County’s 27,500 households have broadband of some type. Nineteen percent have absolutely no internet access whatsoever, and 12% of households have no computer, smartphone or tablet. On its Facebook page Transform Education NM says bluntly, “New Mexico’s broadband infrastructure is spotty, especially in rural areas.”
According to Kelley Schlegel, Director of the New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion, the $675 million in federal funding that New Mexico is receiving will be used to assure that access to high-speed internet is available to all New Mexicans. She stated, “We recognize that reliable high-speed internet access has become vital, enabling access to education, healthcare, employment opportunities, and essential government services.”
The new funding goes beyond Gov. Lujan Grisham’s Connect New Mexico initiative of 2022 that was “…designed to cover up to 75 percent of total project costs for network expansion in unserved and underserved areas of the state,” states the press release. Then, in 2023 the governor additionally allocated for broadband projects statewide “$54 million in grants and $35 million in matching funds”.
Landrieu said in summarizing the $675 million New Mexico is receiving from the federal government, “This award is part of the single largest investment in high-speed internet in history, and it’s bridging the digital divide by building fiber-optic cable made in America – all while creating good-paying jobs for years to come. Building out high-speed internet infrastructure in New Mexico will level the playing field, spur economic growth and opportunity, and help us meet the President’s goal of Internet for All.”
