New Mexico Infrastructure Report Fails to Incorporate Broadband Access

As with other states seeking to promote the availability of high-speed Internet access in a broadband-centered world, New Mexico is struggling just to keep up. Despite boasting one of the world's premier centers for science and research at Los Alamos National Laboratory and experiencing a recent population boom, New Mexico remains far behind the rest of the country in broadband and digital deployment. According to a report by the Kauffman Foundation and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the state ranks 46th in percentage of Internet users, 49th in e-government, and 36th in broadband telecommunications. New Mexico's deficit in broadband infrastructure is particularly glaring. According to Federal Communications Commission statistics, only 78% of New Mexicans have access to digital subscriber line (DSL) service and only 77% have access to cable modem service - well below the national averages of 82% and 96%, respectively. And the quality of service received when broadband connectivity is available is 15% slower than the national average, according to the Communications Workers of America's Speed Matters web site.