You’re reading the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society’s Weekly Digest, a recap of the biggest (or most overlooked) broadband stories of the week. The digest is delivered via e-mail each Friday.

Round-Up for the Week of January 6-10, 2025

In its State Digital Equity Plan, the New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) embraces digital equity to ensure that every person in New Mexico has equal opportunities to access education, health care, job prospects, government services, and information critical to personal growth and well-being. On October 25, 2024, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded OBAE over $8 million through the Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program to implement the strategies and activities laid out in New Mexico's digital equity plan. Here is the full timeline for OBAE's digital equity programming funded by the award.

Implementation Timeline

OBAE organized its timeline to address the four major barriers to digital equity detailed in its State Digital Equity Plan. For all of these barriers, there are measurable objectives with corresponding strategies and activities, and a flexible schedule for each.

Barrier One: Lack of Broadband Availability

Measurable Objective 1: Increase households with access to broadband service of 100/20 Megabits per second (Mbps).

Strategy 1.1: Increase access to residential broadband infrastructure

Key Activities:

• Execute Capital Projects Fund Program to extend last-mile broadband infrastructure throughout New Mexico: 2023-2026
• Execute Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program: 2023-2030

Measurable Objective 2: Increase the number of community anchor institutions (CAIs) with broadband service of 1/1 Gigabit per second (Gbps)

Strategy 1.2: Enable gigabit services at CAIs that provide internet access to covered populations

• Support and further develop the New Mexico Statewide Education: Ongoing
• Award points for connecting Anchor Institutions: 2023-2026
• Collect, share, and map service subscriptions and costs for CAIs: 2023-2030
• Collaborate with other agencies to ensure support for gigabit service: 2023-2028

Barrier Two: Low-income households struggle to afford broadband services, devices, and technical support

Measurable Objective 3: Increase enrollment in affordable connectivity and low-cost service offerings.

Strategy 2.1: Increase enrollment among eligible households in affordable connectivity and low-cost service

• Develop educational materials: 2023-2030
• Work with agencies and partners to develop, support, and promote increased enrollment in affordable connectivity and low-cost options: 2023-2030

Measurable Objective 4: Increase affordable connectivity and low-cost broadband service options for lower-income households.

Strategy 2.2: Increase affordable connectivity and low-cost service offerings

• Recommend BEAD grantees provide affordable connectivity or low-cost offerings: 2023-2025
• Encourage providers to develop affordable connectivity or low-cost offerings to improve adoption and expansion of affordable connectivity and low-cost offerings for lower-income households: 2023-2030
• Work with agencies to support, promote, and track integrated broadband affordability support options: 2024-2030

Measurable Objective 5: Increase the number of New Mexicans, including members of covered populations, who have access to a workable computing device and technical support.

Strategy 2.3: Expand access to computing devices and tech support

• Develop ecosystem to build relationships and strengthen programs for devices and tech support: 2024-2030
• Provide resources and guidance on best practices, expertise, and partnership opportunities to support access to devices and technical support: 2024-2030
• Work with agencies and organizations to track and expand device and tech support opportunities: 2024-2030
• Support access to functional devices: 2023-2029
• Identify, gather, and share a database of device and technical support services: 2023-2029

Barrier Three: Individuals who are members of covered populations require support to develop digital literacy

Measurable Objective 6: Increase the number of New Mexicans, including members of covered populations, who can use the internet if they so choose

Strategy 3.1: Expand access to digital skills training through a range of community learning options

• Support expansion of access to digital skills training through a range of community learning options: 2023-2030
• Promote and support local digital skills learning opportunities: 2024-2030
• Share information, local successes, and best practices in digital skills learning: 2024-2030
• Work with agencies and organizations to track, expand, promote, and integrate digital skills learning opportunities: 2024-2030

Measurable Objective 7: Increase the number of New Mexicans, including members of covered populations, who can access information or training to learn how to protect their security and privacy online.

Strategy 3.2: Expand access to information and opportunities to learn online safety and privacy practices

• Share information, local successes, and best practices in online safety and privacy protection: 2024-2030
• Support access to practices and tools that support online safety and privacy: 2024-2030
• Work with agencies and organizations serving covered populations to track, expand, promote, and improve online safety and privacy protection education: 2024-2029
• Increase the number of training programs and opportunities available: 2024-2029

Measurable Objective 8: Increase the number of New Mexicans, including members of covered populations in New Mexico, who can access government and essential services online.

Strategy 3.3: Improve access to government and essential services online, especially for covered populations

• Share information, local successes, and best practices to improve access to government and essential services online for covered populations: 2024-2030
• Support and promote practices and tools that improve access to government and essential services online, especially for covered populations: 2024-2030
• Work with agencies and organizations serving covered populations to track, expand, promote, integrate, and improve access to government and essential services online: 2024-2030
• Improve accessibility of information online for community members with disabilities: 2024-2030

Barrier Four: Tribal and local communities and organizations require resources and expertise for digital equity efforts

Measurable Objective 9: Increase the number of Tribal and local communities and organizations that have the resources and expertise to support and implement digital equity efforts.

Strategy 4.1: Strengthen collaboration among State, Tribal, local, and nonprofit entities. 

• Convene, connect, and empower Tribes and digital equity organizations: 2023-2030
• Support local initiatives and plan for long-term sustainability: 2024-2030
• Promote best practices and showcase community success stories: 2023-2030

Strategy 4.2: Support and develop local capacity

• Develop, support, and train a local cohort of digital equity grant-writers: 2024-2030
• Develop, support, and train a local cohort of digital equity leaders and facilitators: 2023-2030
• Educate Tribes and local communities and organizations on digital equity issues: 2023-2030
• Build local capacity and expertise to coordinate digital inclusion activities: 2024-2030
• Develop education and informational resources: 2024-2030
• Provide access to funding resources and grant-writing support: 2023-2030
• Support applying for and managing digital equity grants: 2024-2030
• Support expansion of local digital equity efforts: Ongoing

Strategy 4.3: Strengthen the State’s capacity to support local digital equity efforts and initiatives

• Foster legislative, business, and philanthropic support: 2024-2028
• Sustain the OBAE support team: 2024
• Maintain a centralized repository of resources: 2023-2028

Strategy 4.4: Develop data and informational resources to support digital equity efforts and initiatives

• Collect and share information: 2023-2030
• Support locally driven and led and culturally respectful programs, methods, and tools: 2024-2030
• Support Tribes in establishing policies for data collection and data: 2023-2030
• Include data sourced through State, Tribal, and local resources: 2023-2030
• Analyze and publish relevant national, State, and local data: 2024-2030

Achieving New Mexico's Vision

OBAE believes New Mexico will achieve its vision of digital equity through the coordinated efforts of key constituencies and stakeholders across the state—including Pueblos, Tribes, and Nations—and through ongoing engagement and collaboration with partners working together toward shared goals. OBAE's plan prioritizes the extension of digital infrastructure, affordability, and skills training as key areas of digital equity efforts to address the needs of covered populations.

Additional Coverage on New Mexico Broadband Priorities

• New Mexico's Plan for an Inclusive and Prosperous Society

• American Rescue Plan Helps Connect New Mexico

See the latest New Mexico broadband news

More in this Series

• When Will Nevada Implement Its Digital Equity Plan?
• Michigan Is on the Road to Closing the Digital Divide by 2030
• California Takes Steps Towards Digital Equity
• Digital Equity Funding Boosts Innovative Connectivity in Indiana
• Connecting Georgians with Digital Equity Capacity Funds

Quick Bits

• Biden-Harris Administration Recommends for Award More Than $250 Million to Expand Digital Skills
• Technology in Service of Human Progress: NTIA in the Biden-Harris Administration
• Sen. Cruz Designated Chairman of Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
• The state of broadband around the globe: what you need to know

Weekend Reads

• FCC Paves Way for Multilingual Wireless Emergency Alerts
• Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Community Connect Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2025
• Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants for Fiscal Year 2025
• AI means the end of internet search as we’ve known it

ICYMI from Benton

• When Fiber is Too Expensive for BEAD, NTIA OKs Plans for Wireless, LEO
• The Republicans Driving Broadband Policy in the 119th Congress
• New Leadership for House Commerce Committee in the 119th Congress
• More Than a Third of Americans Have Access to One or No Broadband Provider
• Do Digital Inclusion Initiatives Have Any Impact?
• Connecting Georgians with Digital Equity Capacity Funds

Upcoming Events

Jan 15––January 2025 Open Federal Communications Commission Meeting (FCC)

Jan 21––The Worst Tech Policies of 2024: How the New Administration and Congress Can Turn the Page (Information Technology & Innovation Foundation)

Feb 6––Broadband Beneath the Waves: Understanding the World of Submarine Cables (Information Technology & Innovation Foundation)

Feb 11––State of the Net Conference 2025 (Internet Education Foundation)

Feb 13-14––NTIA Grantee Workshop: Atlanta (NTIA)

Feb 25––The Attention Economy: Monopolizing Kids’ Time Online (FTC)

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all people in the U.S. have access to competitive, High-Performance Broadband regardless of where they live or who they are. We believe communication policy - rooted in the values of access, equity, and diversity - has the power to deliver new opportunities and strengthen communities.

© Benton Institute for Broadband & Society 2024. Redistribution of this email publication - both internally and externally - is encouraged if it includes this copyright statement.

For subscribe/unsubscribe info, please email headlinesATbentonDOTorg

Kevin Taglang
Executive Editor, Communications-related Headlines
Benton Institute
for Broadband & Society
1041 Ridge Rd, Unit 214
Wilmette, IL 60091
847-220-4531
headlines AT benton DOT org

Share this edition:

Broadband Delivers Opportunities and Strengthens Communities