Harvey, who runs a nonprofit that works with Luna County on development projects, says the area’s natural beauty and proximity to the state’s only 24-hour border crossing between the U.S. and Mexico could help entice people looking for a new home. But she said high-speed internet has become a “critical infrastructure need” in a place where less than 1% of homes have access to internet speeds the U.S. government considers adequate.
“Let us agree: In the 21st century, in America, high-speed internet is not a luxury; it is a necessity,” Harris said. States must commit to first connecting unserved locations that lack access to internet download speeds of at least 25 megabits per second and upload speeds of 3 Mbps. According to the map the Federal Communications Commission used to determine each state’s allotment, more than 7% of the country falls into this category.
“The connection alone is not going to offer the economic value, the social value, to communities,” said Kathryn de Wit, director of the Pew Charitable Trust’s broadband access initiative. “It’s only useful if people can get online and use it, so having that requirement as a condition of funding is really important.”
“We have … driven probably over 30,000 miles around the state meeting different constituents where they are and understanding the use cases of broadband as it relates to first responders, farmers, small business owners, economic development folks, librarians, health care professionals, etc.,” said Iyengar, whose office released the first volume of its initial proposal in May.
Experts agree that the stakes are high. Blair Levin, former FCC chief of staff who was the executive director of the National Broadband Plan under former President Barack Obama, called the program a “one-shot deal.”