By Kevin Hendricks — Mountainair residents who have spent years waiting on slow rural internet can trade up for fiber starting next week.
Co-op Community Connect, the broadband division of Central New Mexico Electric Cooperative (CNMEC), begins turning on service in Mountainair on Monday, Oct. 26, according to the Town of Mountainair. The co-op will bring neighborhoods online one area at a time, so town officials urge residents to sign up now and claim a spot in the installation line.
The launch caps a project four years in the making. In November 2022, the state Office of Broadband Access and Expansion awarded CNMEC $6.57 million to build fiber in Mountainair, Estancia and a rural stretch of Santa Fe County. The co-op added $2.19 million of its own, for an $8.76 million project, the state announced at the time.
CNMEC also pledged free Wi-Fi, computer classes and price breaks for low-income residents to help people get online.
The cooperative jumped into broadband after the pandemic exposed an “obvious void” in rural connectivity, CNMEC General Manager Alena Brandenberger said in 2022.
Residents who already submitted a service request don’t need to file another one. CNMEC will contact them to schedule installation once service reaches their address. Newcomers can sign up online by entering their address and contact information. The monthly subscription includes the router, and CNMEC crews handle the installation.
Get connected:
- Sign up online: coopcommunityconnect.com/residential