The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) has asked the federal government to release the balance of its state’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program award.
The state was allocated $675 million. Subsequently, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved the state’s $382 million proposal (which would serve 42,000 unserved and underserved locations in 32 of the state’s 33 counties). New Mexico wants the difference in the BEAD amounts — $293 million — to be released.
The left over amount exists because of changes to the BEAD program last year that reduced costs below the original allocation. New Mexico says that the original Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — of which BEAD is a part — demands that the remainder be used for broadband support programs. The state also noted that a planned announcement by NTIA on how to use the savings, which totaled $21 billion nationwide, was postponed.
The press release lists eight goals (three priorities and five supplemental) for which the funds would be used:
- Strategic fiber infrastructure deployment, including pole replacement and make-ready projects, expansion of 5G and successor wireless technologies, and a state-wide quantum computing and artificial intelligence (AI) network, including federal facilities.
- Workforce development programs to train workers in New Mexico to support BEAD project implementation and address future repairs and maintenance.
- Streamlining of permitting at state, county, and municipal permitting agencies to expedite broadband projects.
Supplemental use of the funding could include:
- Connecting community anchor institutions including schools, libraries, and health clinics.
- Digital opportunity initiatives including digital literacy.
- Data collection and broadband mapping.
- Connection of multi-family residential buildings.
- Other uses determined by the NTIA to facilitate the state goals.
“It’s imperative that the NTIA release these funds to ensure New Mexico reaches its goals of broadband deployment, digital opportunity, and workforce development,” OBAE director Jeff Lopez said in a press release about the BEAD funds.
“Achieving universal connectivity takes more than infrastructure construction — many support services, programs, and other projects are necessary to ensure all New Mexicans have the broadband resources to succeed.
The Pew Charitable Trusts recently pointed out the importance of non-BEAD projects in a study entitled “The Role of State Broadband Policy in 2026,” released earlier this month. It found that state legislatures collectively passed more than 160 bills and resolutions related to broadband last year. Many of these involved regulatory changes aimed at expanding authority of broadband offices and addressed internet affordability for low-income customers.
An example of the non-BEAD initiatives Pew described was a bill signed into law earlier this month in New Mexico. The Low-Income Telecommunications Assistance Program (LITAP) will invest $10 million to help as many as 27,000 low-income New Mexicans get broadband services.
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.
