Broadband Access

Telemedicine is critical to ensuring the accessibility of health care. Telemedicine should be available to all New Mexicans — broadband ensures that underserved populations will have access to Telehealth benefits. 

 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic made it clear that high-speed internet is an essential part of health care, Health Action New Mexico has worked with New Mexicans in rural communities to identify their needs and advocate for equitable broadband initiatives. We hosted town halls and panels in Doña Ana, Luna, and Otero Counties to help bridge the gap of limited awareness of broadband opportunities and learn how local communities can benefit from these initiatives. 

 

About Broadband Initiatives in our state:

The focus of broadband initiatives is to connect the unserved and the underserved with affordable, reliable, high-speed internet.

• Communities in New Mexico, because of federal and state funds, will have plenty of resources to achieve broadband connectivity.

• The state of New Mexico has brought forward highly skilled, helpful, and welcoming planning groups to provide guidance to those wishing to be involved:  NM DoIt, the Connect NM Council and its dynamic workgroups. No matter what community you are from, these state groups are your source for guidance and encouragement.   

 

Insights and Action Items:

• Counties and municipalities will be the most active applicants for funding for broadband infrastructure.  Once funded, the counties will be contracting with internet service providers to build broadband infrastructure. 

• Counties are relatively new to the opportunities of broadband, and they recognize that it is a complex and time-demanding endeavor. It is vitally important that each county have at least one staff member who will be the specialist for broadband. 

• Hundreds of well-paying jobs are going to be created by the large number of infrastructure projects that will be funded to bring the internet to the unserved.

• Workforce development – the training for the jobs that are going to be created under the broadband initiative will need solid support and involvement from key training institutions such as the community colleges and employer-based job training. 

• The people who can benefit most from broadband coming to New Mexico are members of ethnic, racial, or minority groups, low-income families earning at or below 150% of the poverty level, rural residents, aging individuals, individuals with disabilities, and veterans.

Broadband expansion is going to have a multigenerational, positive impact on families throughout New Mexico.