New Mexico’s state Office of Broadband Access and Expansion this week announced $200,000 in grant awards to the Pueblo of Pojoaque and Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Inc. Each received the maximum $100,000 through the state’s Grant Writing, Engineering and Planning Program.
According to an OBAE news release, Pojoaque Pueblo will use the funds “to launch a broadband initiative to strengthen connectivity, ensure accurate broadband service representation, and lay the groundwork for future infrastructure investment.”
The Taos-based Kit Carson Cooperative‘s award will be used to “strengthen its federal grant proposals and maximize community benefit. GWEP funding will be used for preliminary planning, mapping, design and engineering for high-speed internet.”
In a statement, Kit Carson CEO Luis Reyes said the award would help the Cooperative “continue to plan, design and map a high-speed broadband fiber network to Gallina and Chama residents.”
According to OBAE, the office has thus far issued 34 GWEP awards to 15 Tribal communities, 15 local governments and four rural electric and telephone cooperatives, totaling $3.3 million. The state allotted $5 million for the GWEP program total, leaving $1.7 million remaining.
“These grants serve as another milestone to help expand broadband across New Mexico,” Neala Krueger, OBAE’s state grants program coordinator, said in a statement. “The state is committed to delivering broadband to rural locations, and we are thrilled more entities have applied to this program as they plan and prepare their broadband deployment.”