New Mexico has awarded more than $1.25 million in disaster grants to two telecommunications providers to restore high-speed internet services in Lincoln County communities damaged by wildfires and flooding.
The Office of Broadband Access and Expansion announced Wednesday that Penasco Valley Telephone Cooperative will receive $1 million and TDS Telecom will receive $251,300 through the state’s Connectivity to Declared Disaster Areas Grants program.
The funding comes from New Mexico’s $117 million American Rescue Plan Act allocation dedicated to expanding broadband access.
“The Office of Broadband stands ready to support families and communities recovering from these devastating incidents,” said Jeff Lopez, director of the broadband office. “Replacing and fixing broadband infrastructure is vital to communities as they work to rebuild.”
The grants will fund repairs and replacement of broadband networks in communities affected by wildfires, floods or other disasters declared by the governor between 2022 and 2024. All projects must deliver service to locations that are currently unserved or underserved.
Lincoln County has been hit by wildfires and resulting flooding over the past year. Most recently, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham requested a major disaster declaration in response to July 8 flooding in Ruidoso.
Under the program, locations are considered unserved if they receive less than 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds. Underserved locations receive up to 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload speeds.
Eligible applicants for the disaster grants include tribal governments, local governments, agencies, for-profit companies, nonprofits, cooperatives and utilities.
Projects funded by the grants must be completed by Dec. 31, 2026.
