The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) awarded a total of 200,000 in planning grants under its Grant Writing, Engineering, and Planning Program (GWEP) to two local entities: the Pueblo of Pojoaque and Kit Carson Electric Cooperative. Each will receive up to $100,000 to fund planning, engineering, and grant-writing activities aimed at moving broadband deployments forward.
Pojoaque’s grant is earmarked for a Santa Fe County broadband initiative, focusing on improving connectivity, documenting current service levels, and mapping unserved areas to support future infrastructure investments.
Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, based in Taos, will use its grant for preliminary planning, mapping, design and engineering for fiber projects serving residents in Gallina and Chama, with the aim of strengthening federal grant proposals and maximizing community benefits.
“We are thankful to OBAE for this planning award which will allow us to continue to plan, design and map a high-speed broadband fiber network to Gallina and Chama residents,” said Luis Reyes, CEO of Kit Carson Electric Cooperative.
OBAE notes that these two GWEP awards bring the program to 34 grants totaling $3.3 million and covering 15 Tribal communities, 15 local governments, and four rural electric and telephone cooperatives. The GWEP program was initially funded with $5 million, and about $1.7 million in planning funds remain available.
State grants coordinator Neala Krueger emphasized the program’s flexibility: “These grants serve as another milestone to help expand broadband across New Mexico,” she said, adding that communities are increasingly seeking GWEP support to prepare proposals and engineering work for larger federal and private infrastructure dollars. The GWEP awards continue to offer up to $100,000 without competitive applications or matching funds requirements.
