LINCOLN\u00a0\u2014 Broadband internet and Billy the Kid may seem like an unlikely pair. But both have brought excitement to this rural town between Ruidoso and Roswell.<\/p>\n
Lincoln is a community steeped in its own history. One recent Sunday morning, dozens of locals mounted horses, climbed aboard floats and set out \u2014 with a call of \u201cWagons ho!\u201d \u2014 in honor of the town\u2019s annual Old Lincoln Days celebration.<\/p>\n
A historic courthouse \u2014 home of the lockup where Billy the Kid, sentenced to hang, famously broke free after killing the deputies charged with guarding him \u2014 still stands at one end of town.<\/p>\n
The central street, now dotted with historical markers rather than outlaws, still features the trappings of the Old West: thick adobe walls, false-front fa\u00e7ades, a distinct lack of cell service.<\/p>\n
However, there is high-speed internet.<\/p>\n
In the past few years, Lincoln has benefited from New Mexico investments bringing speedy, reliable internet access to remote corners of the state. Its newfound \u2014 and expanding \u2014 broadband internet access is set to transform local emergency communications, ways of doing business and cultural events, in addition to expanding opportunities for telehealth services, remote work and online education.<\/p>\n
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From left, pageant cast members Arya Nowell, Kristy Silva, Dusty Rushing, Shana Nowell and Laura Wilson help each other with corset adjustments before the start of the Old Lincoln Days parade Aug. 3 in Lincoln. With a population around 200, Lincoln is one of the recent beneficiaries of New Mexico’s efforts to expand broadband internet access in rural communities.<\/p>\n
Jim Weber\/The New Mexican<\/a><\/p>\n But broadband infrastructure comes with a hefty price tag as internet providers \u2014 subsidized by government grants \u2014 install new equipment to reach New Mexico\u2019s often rugged and rural locations. The cost-per-premise covered by the 2024 Connect New Mexico broadband grantees ranges from a few thousand dollars to more than $2 million per premise, a New Mexican analysis found.<\/p>\n With federal broadband investments slow to arrive in New Mexico and other states, balancing expanded access with the cost of connection represents a challenging choice for state leaders.<\/p>\n \u201cThe cost to connect 500 houses in northeast or -west side of Albuquerque is much lower per household than to connect a rural area outside of Raton or Columbus, N.M., where there isn\u2019t the existing infrastructure,\u201d said Jeff Lopez, director of the state Office of Broadband Access and Expansion.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a tough public policy decision on how to prioritize funding individual households, whether they\u2019re in rural areas of New Mexico or otherwise,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Russ Warwick takes a selfie with the parade in the background during the Old Lincoln Days town celebration.<\/p>\n Jim Weber\/The New Mexican<\/a><\/p>\n What is broadband?<\/p>\n Put simply, broadband is high-speed, reliable internet.<\/p>\n The Federal Communications Commission\u2019s current broadband speed benchmarks are a download speed of 100 megabits per second and an upload speed of 20 megabits per second \u2014 roughly enough to stream Netflix or send a video.<\/p>\n But these days, broadband isn\u2019t just about entertainment, Lopez said; it\u2019s a gateway to \u201call the modern necessities of life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBroadband means access to health care through things like telehealth and telemedicine, connecting with doctors who might not be in your particular area but have the expertise you need to make sure that you\u2019re well enough to get the care that you deserve,\u201d he said. \u201cBroadband means access to educational resources for school and at-home learning as well as jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n Lilibeth Ramirez, 7, reacts after finding her own flake of “gold” at a panning for gold demonstration Aug. 3 during the Old Lincoln Days town celebration. It also features a Billy the Kid-themed parade and shoot-’em-up-show.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jim Weber\/The New Mexican<\/a><\/p>\n And yet, broadband remains relatively sparse outside New Mexico cities. About 10% of addresses in the state were considered underserved or unserved by the Federal Communications Commission in 2024.<\/p>\n Those unserved areas include the state\u2019s especially rural communities \u2014 most of Catron County, for instance, falls into the category \u2014 but also places on the outskirts of larger cities, like neighborhoods north of Las Cruces and parts of Santa Fe and San Miguel counties east of Glorieta Pass.<\/p>\n Despite San Felipe Pueblo\u2019s location between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, nearly all of its addresses are considered unserved.<\/p>\n The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the broader need for broadband access, Lopez said. Students and remote workers flocked to parking lots outside fast-food restaurants or public libraries, hoping to connect to public Wi-Fi networks. Siblings gathered around a single internet hot spot to slowly complete schoolwork.<\/p>\n Legislation from the pandemic era jump-started federal investments in broadband.<\/p>\n The American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law in March 2021, provided New Mexico with an initial cache of about $120 million for broadband infrastructure projects, plus hundreds of millions more to bolster the state\u2019s health care, education and transportation systems.<\/p>\n That money has since been disbursed throughout the state, with several funded networks \u2014 which stretch from Do\u00f1a Ana to Rio Arriba counties \u2014 set to come online this year, according to documents from the state broadband office.<\/p>\n Also in 2021, Congress followed up with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, setting aside $42.5 billion for broadband investments, with New Mexico set to receive a $675 million chunk. Nearly four years later, though, that money hasn\u2019t moved much.<\/p>\n Braxtin Carrizal, left, battles with his brother Arlo Carrizal for candy during the Old Lincoln Days town celebration in Lincoln on Aug. 3.<\/p>\n Jim Weber\/The New Mexican<\/a><\/p>\n In the intervening years, New Mexico lawmakers have set aside money to fund broadband infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n State broadband investments<\/p>\n As Congress passed laws making massive investments in broadband infrastructure, so too did the New Mexico Legislature.<\/p>\n In 2021, state lawmakers set aside $70 million as an initial investment in the Connect New Mexico Fund, with the money designated to plan, design and construct broadband networks in unserved and underserved areas statewide. Related legislation established the state broadband office and required a statewide broadband plan.<\/p>\n The Legislature doubled down in 2023, adding another $124 million to the fund.<\/p>\n Where is that money going? The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion announced the launch of the Connect New Mexico Fund in December 2023, offering up $70 million in grants.<\/p>\n Billy the Kid Pageant cast members ambush the sheriff and his posse Aug. 3 during the Old Lincoln Days celebration.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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