{"id":109143,"date":"2025-08-31T04:30:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-31T04:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/109143\/"},"modified":"2025-08-31T04:30:17","modified_gmt":"2025-08-31T04:30:17","slug":"some-new-mexico-bead-builds-could-top-40k-per-location-served","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/109143\/","title":{"rendered":"Some New Mexico BEAD builds could top $40K per location served"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNews<br \/>\nNew Mexico\u2019s $432.9 million BEAD plan is now under review by federal NTIA authorities, according to the state\u2019s broadband office.<br \/>\nSource:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.noahwire.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Noah Wire Services<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Edited by Brad Randall,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bbcmag.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Broadband Communities<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">New Mexico\u2019s efforts to bridge the digital divide have taken a significant leap with the release of its final $432.9 million Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) plan, now under review by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).<\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">With the plan, <a href=\"https:\/\/connect.nm.gov\/bead-news.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">which was announced Tuesday<\/a>, the state\u2019s Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) has committed to projects that aim to deliver high-speed internet to thousands of families, particularly in underserved rural areas.<\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">However, the per-location costs for some of these projects have raised eyebrows.<\/p>\n<p>High-cost figures in New Mexico\u2019s BEAD plan<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/broadbandbreakfast.com\/new-mexico-funding-bead-projects-at-40-000-per-location-wwld-what-will-lutnick-do\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">As reported by Broadband Breakfast<\/a>, among the high-cost figures is the funding awarded to Valley Telephone Cooperative, which received $12.1 million to service 300 locations, resulting in a per-location cost of over $40,000.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, Oso Internet Solutions was allocated $28.6 million for 729 locations, amounting to approximately $39,000 per location, while Lyte Fiber garnered $55.8 million to serve 1,983 locations, translating into just above $28,000 per location.<\/p>\n<p>Jeff Lopez, the OBAE\u2019s director, said the state\u2019s BEAD program will close New Mexico\u2019s digital divide.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, he said it will ensure that thousands of New Mexico families soon receive access to high-speed broadband, according to comments included in a recent OBAE release.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBroadband is necessary for all families to receive critical services and information to stay connected and to succeed in our ever-changing world,\u201d Lopex said.<\/p>\n<p>The high per-location costs reflect the realities of providing broadband infrastructure in New Mexico\u2019s rural and often remote regions.<\/p>\n<p>According to the OBAE, the office has preliminarily approved over 30 BEAD projects.<\/p>\n<p>Entities with preliminarily approved projects include nine ISPs and low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite providers, three tribal entities, and five cooperatives, the OBAE reported.<\/p>\n<p>The office said 44% of those approved projects involve serving locations with fiber, while 40% include plans to serve locations with fixed-wireless access, and 16% of approved projects include plans to service locations with LEO satellite.<\/p>\n<p>A staff writer used AI tools to help generate this report.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bbcmag.com\/newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Subscribe to the Broadband Communities newsletter!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"News New Mexico\u2019s $432.9 million BEAD plan is now under review by federal NTIA authorities, according to 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