Getting internet service to rural NM takes more than 'doing the math'
Spools of fiber-optic cable are becoming a more common sight around the state since the federal government started funding internet projects. That’s a good thing, right? Maybe not, if you listen to naysayers.
In April the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that New Mexico would receive $40 million for three rural broadband projects, courtesy of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. That brings the total to 18 projects worth more than $200 million.
For people in remote places with slow or no internet service, it means they can enjoy all the services and amenities that people in cities take for granted.
This round of funding sends $23.8 million to Western New Mexico Telephone Co. to build a fiber-to-the premises network that will deliver high-speed internet access to 206 people, five businesses and five farms in Catron County.
Peñasco Valley Telephone Cooperative will get $13.9 million for 550 people, 11 businesses and 48 farms in Chaves, Eddy, Otero and Lincoln counties, according to the USDA news release.
And ENMR Telephone Cooperative will get $2.6 million for one farm and 27 people in De Baca, Guadalupe, Harding, Quay, San Miguel, Socorro and Union counties.
All three utilities will make the service affordable to customers by participating in Affordable Connectivity Programs (ACP). A program of the Federal Communications Commission, ACP subsidizes the cost of internet up to $30 per month, so that service is free or inexpensive.
New Mexico has an ACP enrollment rate of 38% of eligible households, which ranks us 7th in the nation, according to the Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative. And the state’s Office of Broadband Access and Expansion is working to drive enrollment higher.
A few letter writers took a dim view of spending $40 million to get cable to 783 people, 16 businesses and 54 farms. They had “done the math,” they said, and it didn’t make sense.
One critic argued that the government was spending many thousands per customer when, for the same price, they could receive years of service from HughesNet Satellite or Starlink. He then points out that HughesNet costs $149 a month for service he describes as “kind of slow,” plus the user must install a router, while Starlink costs $700 the first month and $110 a month after that.
So let’s say the government paid for satellite service. We’re talking years. The fiber-optic is there forever, like your electric line.
Kelly Schlegel, director of the state Office of Broadband Access and Expansion, responded in an op ed that it’s easy to opine from the comfort of the city, but we’re talking about real people who face real consequences when their internet goes down. Top of Form
“Many ‘less expensive’ alternatives that critics suggest our rural neighbors should accept without complaint simply aren’t viable options for reliable internet in every circumstance,” she writes.
Fiber-optic, compared to the alternatives, is the fastest, most reliable technology over time, said Schlegel, who spent 40 years in the tech industry. And the utility partners have skin in the game. They have to match 25% of the federal grant. It’s a lot for small providers, but then they have a stake in making this work.
A little internet research reveals that many Starlink customers swear by it, but customer service and communications with the company are abysmal. In many rural areas, it’s simply not available. It’s expensive, and the company raised its rates twice in its first two years of operation.
HughesNet Satellite Internet also provides fast internet in rural areas, although it’s not available in some areas, and it restricts the amount of data that can be used each month. It can also be prone to service outages.
Maybe in the future rural customers will have their choice of providers, but right now they have nothing. These projects have the best chance of connecting them soon with affordable, reliable service.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Getting internet service to rural NM takes more than 'doing the math'
