New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recently broke ground alongside Socorro Consolidated School and public officials on a broadband project that will provide high-speed and affordable internet to two of the four schools in New Mexico without reliable broadband.
“We are so close to seeing every public school in New Mexico connected to high-quality and high-speed internet,” Grisham said in a press release from her office in Santa Fe. “Access to the internet has real impacts on the quality of education that modern students receive, and this is a major step forward in bridging the digital—and educational – divide.”
The governor lauded the district, as well as state education and broadband leaders for their efforts, which have resulted in connectivity for over 350 public schools that previously lacked reliable internet, the release stated.
“It’s a team effort, and we appreciate the district personnel who keep persevering,” Jeffrey Tull, technology director at Socorro Consolidated Schools, said in the release. “We thank the governor and her Office of Broadband Access and Expansion, the Western New Mexico Communications team, and most importantly, the teachers who have continually struggled with the challenges of intermittent connectivity and found ways to overcome them.”
The latest project will connect Midway and San Antonio Elementary Schools and their nearly 200 students, according to the release. The project is being funded mainly by federal E-rate funding, which helps schools obtain affordable high-speed internet and telecommunications services. The state is also contributing around $62,000 toward the project.
“These projects allow us to chip away at the digital divide that has plagued New Mexico over the years,” Office of Broadband Director, Kelly Schlegel, said. “This is a quality-of-life issue and our mission from the governor is clear. We are wholly dedicated to ensuring that underserved and unserved communities have the resources necessary to realize reliable and affordable high-speed internet for all.”
