[1st-mile-nm] Cuba, NM school district buys Starlink internet for students

Thu Dec 30 13:04:00 PST 2021

I'm mostly curious how long it will take and if that was part of the
deal. I have a friend in Nambe who signed up for Starlink roughly
this time last year. They put her on a wait list, and last I heard,
she was still waiting.

Starlink (subsidized, since it's expensive) seems like it might be
a good near-term solution for a lot of New Mexico -- once it
actually becomes available and isn't just vaporware and promises.

        ...Akkana

Kimball  Sekaquaptewa writes:
> Congratulations to Cuba students! As we all know, COVID-19 revealed the brutal fault lines of the digital divide especially on rural tribal lands. I have watched Superintendent Karen Sanchez-Griego look for and find so many creative strategies to help her families, including the bus deliveries that didn't just provide wi-fi but also device pickup and overnight charging for homes without electricity. I just want to say thank you, to her and her team for their leadership and endless hours dedication!
> I also hope that the Starlink units and subscriptions were funded through FCC Emergency Connectivity Fund and that a sustainable funding stream for continued service will emerge or that families will have options to purchase affordable high speed sustainable internet for the long term.
> 
> Kimball Sekaquaptewa
> Chief Technology Director
> Santa Fe Indian School
> 
> 
> On 12/30/21, 10:46 AM, "1st-mile-nm on behalf of John Brown" <1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org on behalf of john at citylinkfiber.com> wrote:
> 
>     Makes me wonder about the $ 4+MILLION Sandoval County spent a number
>     of years ago to build a Open Access microwave network.
>     This was supposed to feed the community of Cuba, NM.
>     To the best of my knowledge the network was never made "Open Access"
>     and no ISP used the network to provide services.
>     There is a microwave link that goes from Sandoval County Building up
>     to Fire Station in Placitas, and then from there up to
>     Cuba...
> 
>     I've asked Sandoval County several times about using this TAX PAYER
>     FUNDED Open Access network only to receive
>     no response..
> 
>     More waste in our state.   This Citizens in Cuba could have had a well
>     running locally funded, locally employed, locally staffed
>     network YEARS AGO.
> 
>     This isn't the first time our State Government (State, County, City)
>     has WASTED MILLIONS and the citizens have nothing to
>     show for it.  It also won't be the last time.
> 
> 
>     On Thu, Dec 30, 2021 at 10:28 AM Richard Lowenberg <rl at 1st-mile.org> wrote:
>     >
>     > Rural New Mexico school district buys Starlink internet for students
>     >
>     > Associated Press Dec 29, 2021
>     > https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.santafenewmexican.com%2Fap%2Frural-new-mexico-school-district-buys-starlink-internet-for-students%2Farticle_38dea62e-146d-5324-bbdc-b7b63acb1ddb.html&data=04%7C01%7Ckimball%40sfis.k12.nm.us%7C82dedc5bbf6b48f268ac08d9cbbc45b5%7C8652b09867e848e8a52b92c408b3e10d%7C0%7C0%7C637764831772552744%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=OFZn4WuEbkYJREerRoNbLG6kX8ZFpBVQfHyxQ3bZLGk%3D&reserved=0
>     >
>     > A school district in northwestern New Mexico is providing high-speed
>     > internet to students' families, most of whom are Indigenous, in a $1.2
>     > million deal that leapfrogs piecemeal efforts by state and tribal
>     > officials.
>     >
>     > Cuba Independent Schools Superintendent Karen Sanchez-Griego said staff
>     > began installing Starlink’s $500 receivers at students’ homes in
>     > November and hope to connect all 450 families by the end of the school
>     > year.
>     >
>     > Traditional fiber optic cables haven't been installed around Cuba
>     > because of the area's sparse population, lack of money, and
>     > crisscrossing red tape from tribal, federal and state agencies that have
>     > to approve digging.
>     >
>     > New Mexico education officials were ordered by a court in April to
>     > provide high-speed internet to students in Cuba and other areas but
>     > haven't done so.
>     >
>     > Wi-Fi hotspots from the state didn't work well in remote areas far from
>     > cellphone towers. Education officials are planning on purchasing
>     > Starlink units for around 1,000 families around the state but haven't
>     > specified a timeline for doing it.
>     >
>     > “Our kids can’t wait,” said Sanchez-Griego, adding that the investment
>     > is funded by federal relief money that will eventually run out paying
>     > for $100 monthly internet fees. “Our hope is that the state will come
>     > through."
>     >
>     >
>     >
>     > ---------------------------------------------------------------
>     > Richard Lowenberg, Executive Director
>     > 1st-Mile Institute     505-603-5200
>     > Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504,
>     > rl at 1st-mile.org     https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.1st-mile.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7Ckimball%40sfis.k12.nm.us%7C82dedc5bbf6b48f268ac08d9cbbc45b5%7C8652b09867e848e8a52b92c408b3e10d%7C0%7C0%7C637764831772552744%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=ieXoBJ4seNsrYJ%2FYuILuMmrOiBkXFRpgDolCr7n1Rdc%3D&reserved=0
>     > ---------------------------------------------------------------
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> 
> 
>     -- 
>     Respectfully,
> 
>     John Brown, CISSP
>     Managing Member, CityLink Telecommunications NM, LLC
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