New Mexico Broadband Projects Receive Large Stimulus Awards

The U. S. Department of Agriculture has announced the funding of a Recovery Act broadband infrastructure project in northern New Mexico. The Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) project will deliver affordable broadband service to 29 communities comprised of approximately 20,500 households, 3,600 businesses, 183 critical community institutions, and two Native American Pueblos within a 2,951 square mile, rural underserved area in Taos, Colfax and Rio Arriba counties. In all, $63.8 million in Recovery Act funds will be invested in the project. An additional $600,000 will come from private investment sources.

In addition, the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced a $10.6 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant to the North Central New Mexico Economic Development District to fund the deployment of high-speed Internet infrastructure across the counties of Rio Arriba, Los Alamos, and northern Santa Fe, and to five Native American tribal communities. The project plans to directly connect more than 120 community anchor institutions to broadband service – including public safety facilities, K-12 schools, community colleges, government buildings, healthcare providers, and libraries.