Deming Headlight: Rural broadband projects to boost internet speeds

DEMING — About a year from now, Columbus should enjoy greater Internet coverage once a newly announced project is complete.

Funding for a $5.7 million rural broadband expansion, promising to connect southern Luna County with high-speed internet service, was announced at the Columbus Community Center Thursday morning.

New Mexico’s Office of Broadband Access and Expansion announced four regional projects on March 28 totaling $24.5 million in combined grant and matching funds supported by federal COVID-19 relief money.

The four projects — located in McKinley, Otero, Lincoln, and Grant as well Luna counties — promise to connect more than 2,500 homes in 10 rural communities with low incomes and high poverty rates.

Sharing $17.3 million in grants are providers SWC Telesolutions/Ethos Broadband, Tularosa Communications, Western New Mexico Telephone Company, and — for the Luna County project — Valley TeleCom Group.

The percentage of matching funds varies for each project. In Luna County, $3.7 million, or 65 percent of the project, is paid with grant funds and the remaining $2 million provided by Valley TeleCom.

The aim is to reach 822 households or other sites with 49 miles of fiber optic cable to surpass the aging DSL infrastructure currently serving the border village, which sits three miles north of a 24-hour port of entry with Puerto Palomas, Mexico.

The areas to be built out include the village, an area north of the City of the Sun development, the Sunshine Valley ranchettes area east of the Florida Mountains and a residential area south of Deming between Palo Alto and Bond roads. To read the full article, visit the Deming Headlight.