LAS CRUCES - Millions of federal dollars are available to expand broadband Internet access in New Mexico, but the state can’t tap into that money until it has a plan, Senate Finance Committee Chairman George Muñoz, D-Gallup, told his fellow lawmakers.
Senate Bill 93, which passed the Senate on a 33-6 vote Wednesday, March 3, is intended to fix that problem. It would create the New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion, which would be responsible for evaluating the current system and coordinating its growth.
“The office is going to document the New Mexico broadband plan, something we do across about 17 different departments right now,” said sponsor Sen. Michael Padilla, D-Albuquerque. “This is going to tie everything together and make it easier to see what’s going on with broadband here in New Mexico,” he said.
This Education Advocate Is Helping New Mexico s Indigenous Communities Get Online
A lack of infrastructure on tribal lands has made access to the internet a longstanding issue.
By Jack Graham
Feb 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) Working with rural tribal communities in the southwestern US state of New Mexico, Kimball Sekaquaptewa knows more than most about the challenges of remote schooling.
As chief technology director at Santa Fe Indian School, she serves more than 700 students in 19 rural pueblos, and has spent the last year working to get them online with limited access to high-speed internet.
It is a mission that the 47-year-old mother of three says will benefit the area s Indigenous communities long after the coronavirus pandemic is over, as getting connected expands opportunities for everything from jobs to shaping policy.
Working with rural tribal communities in the southwestern US state of New Mexico, Kimball Sekaquaptewa knows more than most about the challenges of remote schooling.
The school leader getting New Mexico's tribes online reuters.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from reuters.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
New Mexico's Indigenous education advocate faces tough job lmtonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lmtonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.