[1st-mile-nm] New Mexico legislators, providers work on broadband expansion

[Richard Lowenberg]

New Mexico legislators, providers work on broadband expansion

By Jens Gould and James Barron jgould at sfnewmexican.com  
jbarron at sfnewmexican.com
Aug. 28, 2020

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/coronavirus/new-mexico-legislators-providers-work-on-broadband-expansion/article_1c711372-e8b8-11ea-ae22-87dbc5718ece.html

One in every 5 students at New Mexico public schools lives in a 
household without an internet subscription.

And around 8 percent don’t have a computer at home.

Those were just some of the revelations from a legislative report 
Thursday that highlighted the obstacles the state is facing as it aims 
to provide distance learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

Another challenge: Several of the state’s internet service providers — 
under intense pressure from rural school districts to improve 
connectivity as the learning model moves online — say they need a better 
strategic broadband and wireless plan from the state.

The deficiencies in internet service will cost New Mexico between $20.9 
million and $26.2 million in additional funds to ensure all students can 
participate in remote learning over the next 12 months, according to a 
Legislative Finance Committee report produced by analysts Micaela 
Fischer and Jacob Rowberry.

That could be done by providing Chromebook laptops and cellular hot 
spots, and subsidizing broadband and satellite internet service, Fischer 
said.

At a legislative hearing Thursday, some legislators were sharply 
critical of the lack of internet service in some areas of the state.

Sen. Clemente Sanchez said when he drives to work every day in Grants, 
he sees families sitting in a park under canopies trying to use Wi-Fi 
from surrounding buildings.

“They’re losing knowledge. They’re losing it out there,” Sanchez said of 
children. “And that’s very frustrating and it breaks my heart to see 
that happening to all these kids.

“There’s just so much inconsistency, and part of it is because we don’t 
have the technology and we weren’t prepared for this happening now,” he 
added.

The analysts said in their report the extra money to supply internet 
service in areas where it’s lacking could be obtained from a school 
relief fund passed as part of a federal COVID-19 stimulus package, or 
from school districts’ cash balances from last fiscal year.

Sanchez accused schools of hoarding the cash instead of spending it to 
improve remote learning capabilities.

“Go spend the money, schools,” the Democratic senator said. “Go spend it 
so students can learn.”

In a separate legislative hearing Wednesday, officials with internet 
service providers conceded getting students online remains a struggle in 
rural areas, even as internet access has been expanded.

John Badal, chief executive officer of Sacred Wind Communications, said 
there is no way companies can ensure connectivity to 100 percent of the 
state. He said about 40 percent of all tribal homes lack broadband 
capability, and some areas have none.

“The pandemic has shown us that we cannot take this as it comes, relying 
on scattered funding opportunities here and there to fill in the gaps,” 
Badal said on the final day of a three-day meeting of the Legislative 
Education Study Committee. “We really need to buckle down and establish 
a plan.”

Internet availability and bandwidth were recurring talking points on all 
three days for legislators, especially those representing smaller and 
rural communities where students struggle to log on to online classes. 
They cited a lack of service or bandwidth as major hurdles students and 
schools encountered as the 2020-21 school year began.

Rep. Tomás Salazar, D-Las Vegas, spoke of a family in his district 
struggling to provide consistent internet capability for five students 
in middle and elementary school.

He was encouraged when Comcast Senior Director of Government Affairs 
Steve Proper said the company is spending $9.4 million to expand 
broadband services south of Las Vegas that would affect 6,500 homes and 
businesses.

“I know many of you, to your credit, are trying to be as reasonable as 
you can,” Salazar said. “You do have some programs that provide 
financial assistance [to families], and I am fully aware that might not 
be enough. That might be our responsibility as a Legislature.”

Company officials representing Comcast, AT&T, Kit Carson Internet, the 
New Mexico Exchange Carrier Group and Sacred Wind Communications 
indicated they offer discounted or special internet pricing, especially 
to families with students, while also not disconnecting services to 
those who have not paid bills.

Badal said his company is generating less revenue because of that.

“Our nonpayment rate has really grown,” Badal said. “We don’t disconnect 
customers for nonpayment, and we have gone through four, five months 
where they have not paid. And we’ve dropped our broadband prices for a 
good number of our customers.”

Sen. Bill Soules, D-Las Cruces, asked Proper about the effectiveness of 
Comcast’s low-cost internet deal for families, wanting to know if it 
meets the bandwidth needs for households with three or four students. 
Proper said it does.

Soules, a teacher, pointed out he has heard from several constituents 
who say their children cannot reliably log into classroom lessons on 
their tablets or laptops.

“We’ve had that in the public schools when, in the morning, all the 
teachers are logging on and it takes 20 minutes [for instruction to 
start] because all the teachers are logging on,” Soules said.

Badal said his company has seen a significant increase in business 
because it is one of the few internet providers for rural communities in 
the Gallup area. He said Sacred Wind also is making inroads into other 
communities, working with school districts serving Hatch, Truth or 
Consequences, and Laguna and Acoma pueblos to help improve their 
fiber-optic connectivity.

Robert Digneo, director of external affairs for AT&T, said the company 
was in the process of upgrading and adding cellular towers before the 
pandemic hit.

Since then, it has upgraded wireless equipment on more than 120 towers 
around the state, affecting every county in New Mexico.


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Richard Lowenberg, Executive Director
1st-Mile Institute     505-603-5200
Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504,
rl at 1st-mile.org     www.1st-mile.org
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