Six grants implementing or expanding public Wi-Fi in public places have been approved by the New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE).
The grants were awarded through the Community Connect Grant Program, which is part of OBAE’s $70 million Connect New Mexico Fund. The program deploys Wi-Fi in plazas, parks, municipal buildings and similar areas.
“Public Wi-Fi is essential for providing accessibility and convenience in communities across New Mexico,” OBAE State Grants Senior Program Manager Neala Krueger said in a press release about the grants. “It provides communications in emergencies, helps travelers and remote workers, and enables New Mexicans to access the internet in public locations. This Wi-Fi access will help close the state’s digital divide.”
The New Mexico Wi-Fi grants include:
- Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell: $2,162,229
- SWC Telesolutions, Inc.: $2,040,951
- City of Las Cruces: $1,427,361
- Dona Ana County: $515,912
- Luna County: $328,767
- City of Raton: $250,000
The grants total $6.72 million of the $7.19 million available. The press release says that OBAE is working on a seventh grant for the remaining $460,000. In all, the New Mexico Community Connect Grant Program generated 29 applications for public Wi-Fi totaling almost $14 million.
Those winning grants must maintain and operate the networks for at least three years after completion. The networks must provide 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload service.
The availability of funding for these New Mexico public Wi-Fi grants was announced last fall. At the time, the OBAE said that the maximum grant per project would be $2,499,999. Matching funds are not required.
More information about New Mexico broadband, including links to state funding resources, grants made, BEAD news, state-specific Telecompetitor coverage, and more can be found on Telecompetitor’s Broadband Nation webpage for the state.
