New Mexico is moving its Statewide Education Network (SEN) to the Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE), with the hope of improving internet access for students and rural communities.
The move became official today when Governor Lujan Grisham signed the bipartisan Broadband for Education Bill (SB 401). The legislation moves all SEN staff, funds, projects and operations from the Public School Facilities Authority (PSFA) to the New Mexico broadband office.
The change was designed to make management of statewide broadband operations more efficient while also enhancing the resilience of broadband networks statewide resilience.
The new law is also designed to expand middle-mile broadband infrastructure for SEN. New Mexico officials expect this move to help broadband providers, schools, and students alike. Additionally, it will provide backup communications to help with natural disasters and other state emergencies.
New Mexico’s SEN broadband infrastructure program was created last summer. It has already connected dozens of schools through its network, enabling students and teachers to share classes, resources, and services. The state plans to connect all New Mexico schools by 2027.
The legislation is also designed to provide funding for broadband expansion, with the provision that, “The director of the office of broadband access and expansion may certify that up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) of proceeds of supplemental severance tax bonds per fiscal year are needed for expenditures relating to education technology infrastructure pursuant to the Broadband Access and Expansion Act.”
“This law ensures all New Mexico students have high-quality broadband while helping schools secure federal funding,” Manny Barreras, New Mexico Information Technology Secretary and OBAE acting director, said in the state’s announcement. “It will leverage more school-related broadband programs, improving connectivity for surrounding rural communities.”
Additional information about broadband in New Mexico, including links to state funding resources and grants, awards made, state-specific Telecompetitor coverage, and more can be found on the Broadband Nation webpage for the state.
