[1st-mile-nm] From Senators Bingaman and Udall

[Richard Lowenberg]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, August 16, 2010

Udall, Bingaman Host NM Broadband Summit
Event Features Announcement of $73 Million in Grants, Loans to Connect  
NM


WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Jeff Bingaman today co-hosted  
a New Mexico Broadband & Smart Grid Summit in Moriarty that featured  
the announcement of more than $73 million in grants and awards to  
expand broadband services to rural, underserved areas of New Mexico.

More than 300 people attended the summit at the Moriarty Civic Center,  
which included panel sessions featuring experts on the challenges and  
opportunities facing New Mexico as it works to overcome the digital  
divide and harness broadband technologies to promote economic growth,  
energy independence and health care delivery. Udall led the first  
panel session, titled “Wiring New Mexico for the Future;” while  
Bingaman led the second panel, titled “Bringing Broadband to Energy –  
Smart Grid in New Mexico.”

Jonathan Adelstein, administrator of the Rural Electricity Service of  
the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), also gave a keynote address  
in which he announced $63.8 million in American Recovery and  
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds for a broadband infrastructure project  
that will deliver affordable broadband service to 29 communities in  
rural, underserved areas of Taos, Colfax and Rio Arriba counties. Kit  
Carson Electric Cooperative will receive a $44 million grant and a $19  
million loan – for a total of $63.8 million – to create the 2,400-mile  
broadband network, which will connect approximately 20,500 households,  
3,600 businesses, 183 critical community institutions and two Native  
American Pueblos.

Also at the summit, the Commerce Department’s National  
Telecommunications and Information AdministrationDeputy Administrator  
Anna M. Gomez announced a separate, $10.6 million ARRA grant to the  
North Central New Mexico Economic Development District’s REDI Net  
project, which will make high-quality broadband services more  
affordable and accessible to residents, businesses, and public  
institutions in Rio Arriba and Los Alamos counties, northern Santa Fe,  
and five Native American tribal communities.

“Today was a big day for New Mexico,” Udall said. “Not only did we  
bring experts from across the spectrum together to discuss the  
challenges our state faces in bridging the digital divide, but we also  
took an important step forward in connecting our rural areas with the  
announcement of more than $73 million in grants and loans. Broadband  
creates jobs. Broadband connects communities. That’s what this summit  
is about today.”

"New Mexico is poised to be a leader in expanding broadband access and  
the use of ‘smart grid’ technology to reduce consumers' utility bills,  
and I believe the summit will help make that a reality," Bingaman  
said. "The grants announced today show that the federal government can  
be a very important partner in meeting our state's broadband and smart  
grid needs."
Congressman Ben Ray Luján also lauded today's recovery announcement  
for expanded broadband into the northern area of his district.
“I am proud to see Recovery funds supporting much-needed broadband in  
Northern New Mexico. I commend REDI Net for investing in our  
communities and connecting our families and small businesses to the  
world,”Luján said.

Panelists for Udall’s discussion of “Wiring New Mexico for the Future”  
included: Dr. Dale Alverson, Director of the Center for Telehealth and  
Cybermedicine Research at the University of New Mexico; John Badal,  
Chief Executive Officer of Sacred Wind Communications; Sharon Gillett,  
Wireline Competition Bureau Chief for the Federal Communications  
Commission; Dr. Susan Oberlander, State Librarian, New Mexico  
Department of Cultural Affairs, and Jessica Zufolo, Deputy  
Administrator, Rural Utility Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Panelists for Bingaman’s discussion of “Bringing Broadband to Energy –  
Smart Grid in New Mexico” included: Dr. Tom Bowles, Science Advisor  
for Governor Bill Richardson; Suedeen Kelly, Partner at Patton Boggs  
LLP; Eric Lightner, Director of the Federal Smart Grid Task Force at  
the U.S. Department of Energy; Dr. Daniel López, President of New  
Mexico Tech; Dr. Terry Michalske, Director of Energy and Security  
Systems at Sandia National Laboratories; and Luis Reyes, Chief  
Executive Officer of Kit Carson Electric Cooperative.

#########

Contacts:  Jude McCartin (Bingaman) 202.224.1804 / Marissa Padilla  
(Udall) 202.224.6621 / Linda Serrato (Luján) 202.503.8988




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