Nearly $803,000 in state funding has been awarded for a project in the town of El Dorado, New Mexico that will see the building of long-needed broadband infrastructure. The funding for what is officially defined as a census-designated place, with around 6,000 residents, is coming through a unique program designed to expand broadband access in both unserved and underserved areas. The funding has been approved via the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission and is part of more than $11.8 million released for 18 broadband projects across the state. More specifically, noted Gabriel Aguilera, a member of the commission, the funding is going to the State Rural Universal Service Fund Broadband Program which is tasked with bringing "high quality broadband service to New Mexico in rural areas." In a statement, Aguilera added that in making its funding decisions, the NMPRC gave priority to "those dedicated to serving unserved communities," while at the same time "maximizing outreach to underserved areas while maintaining fair and reasonable costs." According to a study published late last year by the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee, the state ranks 39th in the nation for broadband access, an improvement over 2020 when the state came in 49th. "With 96% of the nation reportedly served with broadband speeds of at least 25 megabits download and 3 megabits upload," the report continued, only 89% of New Mexico is similarly wired. Each one of the grants awarded by the NMPRC provides up to 75% of the budgeted project price tag, with the remaining 25% expected to be picked up by eligible telecommunications carriers. Altogether, the commission looked at 38 individual projects from 10 applicants, before deciding on the final lucky eighteen. By Garry Boulard
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