The state of New Mexico announced Friday that the federal government has greenlit its plan for how to spend $675 million in federal funds to expand high-speed internet across the state. The approval means the state can now launch a local grant program.
The Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) funds are part of the Biden administration’s “Internet for All” initiative, which is spending $65 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Alan Davidson, administrator with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, says its mission is, “To connect everyone in America — and we do mean everyone — to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet service.”
While New Mexico has improved its ranking for broadband access from nearly last in the nation in 2020 to now 39th, according to a legislative progress report, there is still a ways to go.
“New Mexico has some particularly challenging geographies that are going to need to be dealt with,” said Davidson. “And what’s exciting about this plan that the state has put forward is that it is a plan to reach everyone.”
The proposal was informed by community and tribal engagement going back to 2022. It prioritizes getting fiber optic cable to areas without any, followed by reaching those that don’t have enough.
However, in the plan, the state Office of Broadband Access and Expansion called New Mexico’s share of the federal funds “insufficient” to do both. The office said it has been granted just enough money to cover “the majority of unserved with little or no funding for underserved locations,” and that any remaining areas would be “served with alternative technologies.”
However, the state is also chipping its own money into the effort. The governor’s Infrastructure Advisor Rebecca Roose said state programs will provide high-speed internet to an additional 45,000 locations, with Connect New Mexico announcing $70 million for new projects “in the coming weeks.”
She said the effort is not only about infrastructure, but “digital equity.”
“Helping to ensure that all New Mexicans will have the skills and hardware to use the internet effectively once we bring it to their door,” she said.
The state has a year to select its grantees, which can include internet service providers as well as local governments, tribal communities, nonprofits and others. It then must get final approval before distributing the funds.
BEAD Coordinator Andrew Wilder says the broadband office expects to open applications in the fall.
