Today OBAE’s Statewide Education Network (SEN) became operational, connecting three Albuquerque charter schools and all 27 schools in the Gadsden Independent School District in Santa Teresa. These schools are the first to be linked with their own school-centric high-speed internet.

The new network is optional for schools across the state, but OBAE is excited it will eliminate the internet administrative burden for them.  Dozens of other schools have committed to being part of the internal network, and SEN plans to connect all public schools in New Mexico by 2027. The school-centric broadband network will eventually allow schools to share classes, meetings, clubs, and various sites to enhance student learning and to engage students.

A state advisory committee will develop content for the network.

“This is an important milestone for New Mexico education and broadband,” said OBAE Acting Director Drew Lovelace. “This exemplifies how the state is improving education through technology.

“This has been a mammoth undertaking, and we’re very excited that the network is finally operational,” said Ovidiu Viorica, SEN’s Broadband and Technology Manager. “This is an extraordinary achievement that we hope will see productive returns for our children and our state. What’s happening today is a sign that New Mexico is truly looking to the future.”

There will be a ribbon cutting in Albuquerque to celebrate the first connected schools on August 15.

OBAE’s Acting Director and several program managers were among broadband experts who addressed the Broadband Future Conference in Farmington last week. The conference served as an opportunity for broadband specialists, nonprofits, ISPs, lawmakers, local and tribal leaders to share information and provide input about broadband expansion in the Four Corners region. During panel sessions OBAE leaders spoke about what’s happening in New Mexico and the importance of planning and implementing broadband to hard-to-reach areas. They discussed broadband strategies, economic opportunities and how the high-speed internet has become a necessity in these challenging times. More than 200 people attended the conference.

There's a push in Congress for federal dollars to continue the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

New Mexico U.S. Senator Ben Ray Lujan is fighting hard to keep funding alive. He's sponsoring a bill, S4317 called the Secure and Affordable Broadband Extension Act. And Vermont U.S. Senator Peter Welch continues to fight for his Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act on Capitol Hill.

All of New Mexico's delegation support ACP and funding to help low income households get internet service.

This month lawmakers refused to appropriate $7 billion to extend ACP. New Mexico's Congressional Delegation supported the extension.

The program helped tens of millions of low-income Americans get online. ACP gave homeowners up to a $30 credit off their internet bills and as much as $75 per month for families on tribal lands. 

New Mexicans who used this program are urged to check with their Internet Service Providers to see if their discounts will continue. Customers are encouraged to explore their options including switching their ISP.

OBAE is exploring ways to bridge this gap.

Crews are busy at work around the state as broadband projects continue. Oso Internet Solutions is making progress on their Pine Meadows fiber project in the Ramah Navajo area. Construction there is underway for fiber.

The Sacred Wind project in Gallup has completed most of its fixed wireless project. At present, Gallup is developing an RFP to build a section of fiber.

The Tularosa Communications project in Dog Ranch is about 58% completed. All approved construction is finished. The remaining 42% will be completed once permitting from BLM is approved. The next phase of this project will begin work in Dog Canyon. 

Registration is now open for the second annual ABQNOG conference scheduled for August 15, 2024. The all-day event will take place in Albuquerque at the APS Rankin Training Complex located at 720 Rankin Rd NE Albuquerque, NM 87107. This technical conference is centered on broadband and networking and run by networking professionals to help other networking professionals and to share the latest information, updates and best practices on managing and maintaining networks. For more information and to register online visit: http://abqnog.org

OBAE hosted a webinar tribal workshop last month to help prospective grant recipients.

Nearly two dozen people attended the virtual workshop that provided a valuable opportunity for OBAE to walk tribal members through the NTIA Native Entities Digital Equity Capacity Grant process. The grant for Native Entities will open September 25, 2024, and close February 7, 2025.

OBAE will offer Open Office Hours July 19 2pm-3pm so community members can gather more information, share ideas, and ask questions. 

Click here to register for the Open Office Hours: Meeting ID: 845 4402 1293 Passcode: 497452                

OBAE Acting Director Drew Lovelace attended the National Governors Association’s second Broadband Leaders Workshop held in Overland Park, Kansas last month. The NGA event addressed key broadband issues facing states. Governors, federal officials, industry leaders and stakeholders took part in the workshop. The groups tackled the challenges and strategies of implementing state and federal programs to ensure broadband accessibility and affordability.

On May 31 National Cyber Director Harry Coker, Jr. attended a forum in Santa Fe where he met with State agencies and other leaders to address school cybersecurity concerns and to promote ways to protect school digital environments.

Three members of OBAE along with NM Information Technology Acting Secretary Raja Sambandam attended the roundtable.

At the event, Coker announced no-cost tools available to local and intermediate school districts to improve their cybersecurity, particularly Protective Domain Name Service (PDNS), an important and easy-to-use cybersecurity service.

OBAE Acting Director Drew Lovelace and staff members will participate in the Governor’s Cabinet in Your Community event in Clovis and Portales on July 8 and 9. The Governor and cabinet secretaries visit those communities as part of their outreach program to help residents learn about available state and federal resources. Cabinet members and other state leaders will help people connect with various services to get the support they need. Those include Medicaid, unemployment benefits, career counseling, and more.

The event begins in Clovis with a resource expo in the Commons Building at Clovis Community College, 417 Schepps Blvd., on Monday, July 8, from 4 to 7 p.m. There will also be a community town hall at the Dr. Jay Gurley Town Hall building from 5:30 to 7 p.m. 

On Tuesday, July 9, cabinet secretaries will host an event at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales. A resource expo will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Campus Union Building Ballroom. There will also be a community town hall at the University Theatre Center from 5:30 to 7 p.m.