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The New Mexico program provides assistance awards of up to $100,000 without a competitive application process or matching fund requirements.
Edited by Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) awarded $200,000 in planning grants to two local entities as part of the state’s push to expand high-speed internet in rural and tribal areas.
The Pueblo of Pojoaque and Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Inc. will each receive up to $100,000 through the Grant Writing, Engineering, and Planning Program (GWEP) to fund technical planning, engineering and grant-writing efforts intended to pave the way for broadband deployment, an announcement from OBAE explained last week.
The Pueblo of Pojoaque plans to use its award to launch a broadband initiative aimed at improving connectivity, ensuring accurate representation of current service levels, and preparing for future infrastructure investment in Santa Fe County, OBAE said.
Officials also say preliminary planning and mapping are intended to identify unserved or underserved areas and support subsequent funding applications and buildout efforts.
Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, based in Taos, will direct its grant toward strengthening federal grant proposals and maximizing community benefit, with funds earmarked for preliminary planning, mapping, design and engineering for fiber projects serving Gallina and Chama residents, according to OBAE.
“We are thankful to OBAE for this planning award which will allow us to continue to plan, design and map a high‑speed broadband fiber network to Gallina and Chama residents,” said Luis Reyes, CEO of Kit Carson Electric.
‘Another milestone to help expand broadband’
OBAE said these two awards bring the total number of GWEP grants to 34, totaling $3.3 million, and also spanning 15 Tribal communities, 15 local governments and four rural electric and telephone cooperatives.
The state allocated $5 million to the GWEP program initially; about $1.7 million in planning funds remain available. The program provides assistance awards of up to $100,000 without a competitive application process or a requirement for matching funds.
“These grants serve as another milestone to help expand broadband across New Mexico,” said Neala Krueger, OBAE’s state grants program coordinator. She added that the state is focused on delivering broadband to rural locations and has seen increased demand for GWEP support as communities prepare proposals and engineering work needed to pursue larger federal and private infrastructure dollars.
AI tools from Noah Wire Services were used to help generate this report.
