New Mexico Advances Bill to Bolster Broadband Coverage

(TNS) — Despite recent efforts to upgrade New Mexico's connectivity, the state's broadband coverage continues to lag behind other states.

A bill aimed at shoring up the broadband shortcomings — which have been exposed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic — passed its first Senate committee Tuesday via a 8-3 vote.

The measure, Senate Bill 93, would establish a new office in state government to oversee a state broadband plan and negotiate broadband right-of-ways with local governments.

"What we need is coordination — what we need is a plan," said bill sponsor Sen.  Michael Padilla , D- Albuquerque, during Tuesday's meeting of the Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee.

The bill is one of several broadband-related proposals that have been introduced during the 60-day legislative session.

It calls for a $950,000 appropriation to staff the new broadband office and hire a director, who would be appointed by the governor.

While the state already has a Department of Information Technology, that agency oversees a broad range of technology issues and several legislative reports have recommended creation of a new office to focus specifically on broadband challenges.

While representatives of several business groups testified in favor of the legislation Tuesday, skeptics expressed concern about the idea of creating a new state office amid recent growth in the number of Cabinet-level state government agencies.

"Our government has exploded since the Gary Johnson administration," said Senate Minority  Whip Craig Brandt , R- Rio Rancho, referring to the former GOP governor who held office from 1995 through 2002.

Nationwide, New Mexico is only the 49th-best connected state in the country, according to BroadbandNow, a broadband availability website.

While average download speeds are fast in parts of the state like Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Clovis, access to high-speed broadband connections is lacking in many parts of New Mexico.

And the issue of broadband connectivity has been highlighted by the pandemic, which has forced many New Mexicans to work and attend school remotely.

Roughly 21% of students in public schools — roughly 66,200 young people — live in a household without an internet subscription, according a Legislative Finance Committee report released last year.

And about 1,100 students live outside the reach of cell or broadband service, even if their parents could afford it, the report found.

Padilla, who has also pushed for broadband bills in past legislative sessions, said the state would ultimately need to invest between $500 million to $800 million to fully bring its network up to speed.

The measure now advances to the Senate Finance Committee.

(c)2021 the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.