New Mexico has signed its first grant agreement under the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, committing $26,988,097 to Kit Carson Electric Cooperative for fiber service in five northern counties. The Oct. 14 announcement marks a move from award selection toward project delivery, not the immediate availability of new internet connections.
The Office of Broadband Access and Expansion says the project targets 3,935 unserved and underserved locations in Colfax, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Santa Fe and Taos counties. Kit Carson will contribute more than $12 million in matching funds, bringing the investment to nearly $40 million. The location count comprises 1,970 classified as unserved and 1,965 as underserved. The state also identifies 31 community anchor institutions, including schools, libraries, medical centers and public-safety facilities, among the project’s intended beneficiaries.
The construction plan calls for 1,035 miles of fiber, largely carried overhead rather than buried. The Albuquerque Journal independently reported the award and Kit Carson’s matching contribution, identifying communities including Cuba, Peñasco, Chimayó, Eagle Nest, Questa, Velarde and Red River. The network would reach places where distance and dispersed development complicate the economics of installing wired service. A grant agreement alone does not establish that every nearby address is included.
Deployment remains several years away. Broadband director Jeff Lopez told Source New Mexico that completion is targeted for 2030 and that environmental review and permitting could take one to three years before construction. Santa Fe County Commissioner Justin Greene described the project as addressing remaining gaps in the county’s rural north, with potential benefits for education, remote work and telehealth. Those are anticipated uses, not measured outcomes from a completed network.
The agreement sits within a much larger statewide effort. In its January approval announcement, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office said federal officials had approved $382 million for broadband infrastructure serving more than 42,500 locations. That approved infrastructure amount is part of New Mexico’s $675 million federal BEAD allocation, rather than a separate state appropriation. The broader plan uses fiber, fixed wireless and low-Earth-orbit satellite service rather than relying on one technology statewide. The northern fiber project is therefore one component of the coverage strategy, not evidence that New Mexico has already achieved universal service.
Eligibility also reflects defined service gaps. New Mexico’s program materials describe unserved locations as those without internet or below 25 megabits per second downstream and 3 upstream; underserved locations lack access meeting the 100-down, 20-up threshold. Those classifications distinguish an infrastructure grant from a general subsidy for all existing subscribers.
Before physical work starts, Kit Carson must complete environmental, permitting, Tribal and historic certifications and site preparation. OBAE says it will monitor deployment and that the cooperative will conduct community outreach. The state notice identifies a 2030 completion expectation, making the next practical milestones approvals and construction progress rather than immediate service activation.
