After delays from federal officials, New Mexico’s agency to expand broadband this week announced an agreement with an internet service provider to bring high-speed fiber internet to communities in five of the state’s northern counties through a federally funded grant.
A total of 1,970 unserved locations and 1,965 underserved locations throughout Colfax, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Santa Fe and Taos counties will receive fiber broadband access from the project, New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion said in a news release announcing the agreement with Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, which provides internet among other utilities. Homes, businesses and community institutions — such as fire departments, libraries, schools and medical centers — in the communities will receive the upgrade, OBAE added.
Funding for roughly two-thirds of the project’s $40 million price tag comes via the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment federal grant program, which was established in the Biden-era Infrastructure and Jobs Act to achieve universal high-speed internet access nationwide. Kit Carson matched the remaining costs. This project is the first of approximately 19 projects that will be funded by the program to tackle connectivity issues throughout the state, OBAE said in a statement…