New Mexico

Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) called on Arielle Roth, the recently confirmed Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), to fulfill her responsibility to fully implement programs authorized and funded by Congress—specifically, the Digital Equity Act and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Senator Luján urged Roth to make her first act as Administrator the immediate restoration of suspended digital equity grants and the release of approved federal funding to connect all New Mexicans to broadband.

New Mexico achieved the largest year-over-year increase in broadband speeds nationally, with 20.5% more residents now accessing high-speed internet of 100/20 Mbps or faster, according to Speedtest by Ookla data comparing the last six months of 2023 to the last half of 2024. The speed increases are happening across the state for several reasons: more homes and businesses are gaining access to faster internet through new development, fiber technology is being prioritized for new broadband locations offering better latency and better-quality highspeed internet, and more New Mexicans are unders

New Mexico received 42 new applications in just two weeks for $675 million in federal broadband grants, bringing the total to 87 applications as providers rush to expand high-speed internet to more than 44,000 unserved locations statewide. The surge in applications came after new federal rules restarted the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program last month.

The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion announced a $2,395,072 grant awarded to Santa Fe-based NM Surf, Inc to deliver high-speed internet access to rural students and school staff. This funding represents the latest investment through OBAE’s $25 million Student Connect program, specifically addressing the critical disadvantages faced by rural students without home internet access.

The New Mexico state Senate passed SB 401, the Broadband for Education bill, by a vote of 23 to 6. The Broadband for Education bill would transfer the Statewide Education Network (SEN) from the Public School Facilities Authority to the Office of Broadband Access and Expansion. The legislation would move all SEN staff, funds, projects and operations to the state’s broadband office.

The extra money that flowed from the federal government during the pandemic has left districts in New Mexico with a problem. The pandemic boosted internet access for students. That’s in part because school districts purchased devices with relief money. These days, around 285,000 students in the state have a school-issued device, says John Chadwick, digital equity coordinator for the New Mexico Department of Education.

The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) has released program details for the fourth wave of the Connect New Mexico Pilot Program. The award, which is for $1.251 million, focuses on connectivity to geographic areas that had been declared disaster areas between 2022 and last year and eligible underserved broadband serviceable locations (BSL) in those areas. These New Mexico broadband awards were authorized under NM House Bill 2. The key dates for these New Mexico broadband grants:

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced more than $313 million in funding to connect rural residents, farmers and business owners in 18 states to reliable high-speed internet.

The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has recommended for award more than $276 million to 44 Tribal entities to expand high-speed Internet access and adoption. The funding from the nearly $3 billion Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is part of the Biden-Harris Administration's Internet for All Initiative.