A $40 million broadband project will bring high-speed internet to nearly 4,000 unserved and underserved locations across five northern New Mexico counties, expanding access to education, health care and remote work.
New Mexico’s Office of Broadband Access and Expansion has agreed with Kit Carson Electric Cooperative on a $40 million project to extend fiber-optic internet to 3,935 unserved and underserved locations across Colfax, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Santa Fe and Taos counties. About two-thirds of funding comes from the federal BEAD program, with Kit Carson covering the remainder.
The project is the first of roughly 19 planned under New Mexico’s BEAD allocation, following federal delays and revised guidelines. Officials say it will improve access to education, health care, and remote work in rural areas, though environmental review, permitting, and construction mean completion is not expected until 2030.
The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion announced this week an agreement with Kit Carson Electric Cooperative to extend fiber-optic internet service to 3,935 locations across Colfax, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Santa Fe and Taos counties. The project targets 1,970 locations without broadband service and another 1,965 with inadequate access.
The expansion is intended to bring reliable connections to places where internet access affects more than convenience. Schools, libraries, fire departments and medical centers are among the community institutions expected to benefit, along with households and businesses that increasingly depend on online services.
For rural residents, better connectivity can help students access educational resources, patients consult health care providers remotely, and workers perform their jobs from home. It can also help small businesses reach customers and manage daily operations without relying on limited or unreliable connections.
“Just around 74% of New Mexico had broadband access” when the state broadband office was established in 2021, according to Director Jeff Lopez. He said about 91% of the state is now connected. The new project aims to reach locations that remain unserved or underserved.
The project carries a price tag of about $40 million, with roughly two-thirds expected to come from the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. Kit Carson Electric Cooperative will cover the remaining costs.
“This is huge breakthrough in our years-long quest to use BEAD funding to steer New Mexico toward 100% connectivity,” said Lopez. “Hundreds of millions of dollars are being invested in our state to ensure every New Mexico family receives high-speed, safe and secure broadband.”
Established under the Biden-era Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the BEAD program was designed to expand high-speed internet access nationwide, particularly in communities that have been left behind by private broadband investment.
However, New Mexico’s effort faced delays as federal officials revised the program’s requirements. The Trump administration delayed the release of $293 million in broadband funding for the state earlier this year while the National Telecommunications and Information Administration worked on new guidelines.
Lopez said the state had to adjust to changes between the two administrations’ approaches before it could move forward with the grant process.
The federal telecommunications agency released revised guidelines in June, allowing the state broadband office to begin soliciting bids for projects. The agreement with Kit Carson is the first of approximately 19 projects expected to receive funding through the program in New Mexico.
The funding is intended to help close gaps that have persisted despite earlier broadband expansion efforts. Without public investment, remote and sparsely populated areas can be difficult to serve because building fiber networks over long distances can be costly relative to the number of customers.
The agreement marks a step toward expanded access, but residents will have to wait for the network to be built.
Lopez said he hopes the project will be completed by 2030. Before construction begins, Kit Carson must go through an environmental review and permitting process expected to take one to three years.
That timeline means the benefits will not arrive immediately, even as communities continue to face barriers associated with limited internet access.
Northern Santa Fe County is among the areas expected to benefit. District 1 Commissioner Justin Greene said in a statement that rural areas have long been underserved by broadband and telecommunications services.
Greene said the project would complete the “last mile” of connectivity following earlier broadband initiatives launched during the Obama administration.
For residents in remote communities, that final stretch can determine whether a home or institution can actually use a broadband network. Nearby fiber infrastructure does not necessarily mean every household has access.
Once completed, the project is expected to give communities better access to education, telehealth, entertainment, and remote work, Greene said.
The project highlights the role of federal funding in bringing broadband to rural communities that private providers may be reluctant to serve because of high construction costs. However, residents will have to wait for the benefits as the project moves through environmental reviews, permitting, and construction, with completion targeted for 2030
