$117M grant expected to bring high-speed internet to 40K locations in New Mexico - Albuquerque Journal

In this March 2021 photo, an Albuquerque Public Schools autobus equipped with Wi-Fi awaits students portion parked adjacent the Pajarito Mesa Community Center. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Journal)

SANTA FE — The U.S. Treasury Department is injecting different $117 cardinal into New Mexico’s efforts to grow broadband — capable to scope astir 21% of the locations successful the authorities that deficiency entree to high-speed net service, according to authorities estimates.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján joined Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and national officials to denote the caller backing Thursday, disposable done the American Rescue Plan Act superior projects fund.

They described it arsenic a “down payment” connected efforts to supply entree to high-speed net to much homes and families and marque it much affordable for those who already person it.

Luján said the backing is expected to fortify connectivity on interstates and large roads, successful summation to boosting work successful agrarian areas and tribal communities.

“People surviving retired West,” helium said, “we cognize the quality betwixt bully internet, atrocious net and nary internet. That’s what this is going to cure.”

Lujan Grisham said the task is expected to supply work to much than 40,000 homes, businesses and different locations successful New Mexico — with a $30 per period subsidy to assistance low-income households spend the work and a $75 subsidy successful Native American communities.

It’s conscionable 1 of respective backing streams from the national authorities for broadband expansion. At slightest $175 cardinal successful broadband backing has been announced successful New Mexico implicit the past 2 months, successful summation to the wealth awarded Thursday.

“We don’t privation to miss immoderate opportunity,” Lujan Grisham said. “We’re moving quickly.”

The authorities estimated Thursday’s backing would assistance service astir 21% of the locations successful New Mexico that deficiency high-speed net access.

Construction is expected to statesman adjacent year, and each task volition person 3 years to decorativeness operation and statesman offering service.

Two years ago, the authorities estimated it would outgo astatine slightest $1 cardinal to scope astir oregon each of the unserved locations successful New Mexico. About 13% to 20% of homes and businesses didn’t person broadband net available, according to authorities documents released past year.

The displacement to distant learning during parts of the COVID-19 pandemic and emergence of teleworking person exposed shortcoming successful New Mexico’s net access. Many families had to permission location to drawback Wi-Fi, sometimes sitting extracurricular fast-food restaurants to get the speeds indispensable to implicit homework oregon bash online learning.