[1st-mile-nm] $5.3 Million Broadband Enhancement Set for New Mexico’s Mescalero Apache Reservation (Aug. Article)

[Richard Lowenberg]

$5.3 Million Broadband Enhancement Set for New Mexico’s Mescalero Apache 
Reservation

The project is the first in the nation to be obligated, which allows 
Mescalero Apache Telephone Inc. officials to take advantage of low 
interest dollars. With the loan, it can upgrade specific portions of its 
copper cable facilities with fiber.

BY DIANNE STALLINGS, RUIDOSO NEWS, N.M. / AUGUST 14, 2015

http://www.govtech.com/network/53-Million-Broadband-Enhancement-Set-for-New-Mexicos-Mescalero-Apache-Reservation.html

Persistence and a good plan moved Mescalero Apache Telephone Inc. (MATI) 
to the front of the line for financing by the U.S, Department of 
Agriculture of a multimillion dollar broadband communication system.

Officials from the Rural Development Division of the USDA were in the 
area Thursday to present a certificate of obligation to officials of 
MATI and the Mescalero Tribal Council, representing the $5.397,000 
obligation by the Rural Development's Rural Utilities Service's 
Telecommunications Loan Program and the Substantially Underserved Trust 
Land Program.

The project on the reservation that abuts Ruidoso is the first in the 
nation to be obligated, which allows MATI officials to take advantage of 
low interest dollars. With the loan, MATI can upgrade specific portions 
of its copper cable facilities with fiber, primarily aimed at the homes 
of 1,178 telephone customers and 500 data customers currently served by 
the company, which is a wholly-owned corporation of the tribe that 
operates one exchange serving the reservation. The proposed 
improvements, which could take up to two years to construct and install, 
primarily will be located in the more densely populated areas of 
Mescalero, including the Geronimo, Pena, Goat Summit and Carrizo housing 
cores.

"Broadband access is important to our rural communities," Brandon 
McBride, RUS administrator, said Wednesday during an interview in 
Ruidoso. "It's important in terms of having new educational 
opportunities. It can improve rural health care and it also is important 
for local businesses to being able to compete in the global market 
place. It will allow Mescalero to provide fiber to the homes of many of 
its customers and that will improve broadband services for them."

For those receiving the fiber facilities at home, children with 
schoolwork will be able to go on-line and do homework, he said.

"In some cases, distance learning opportunities are available once we 
improve broadband access," McBride said. "A lot of times, local schools 
can connect with colleges and universities outside of the area to 
provide those kinds of programs."

Electronic health records can be accessed and physicians practicing in 
rural hospital can consult with doctors in larger hospitals in urban 
areas, he said.

THE PROCESS

Godfrey Enjady, who heads MATI, applied for the loan through the USDA's 
traditional telecommunication infrastructure loan program, McBride said.

"We were able to use our authorities through SUTA, and their loan came 
through, and we were able to process that," he said. "It is a good 
project and a good proposal."

Terry Brunner, USDA Rural Development State Director, said, "From the 
New Mexico side, they were really persistent. They had the idea early 
and worked a lot with USDA over the last few years to put the project at 
the front of the line. It is a really nice commentary on the quality of 
work being done by the Mescalero that they are the first in the gate for 
this program."

The program is subject to annual review and funding by Congress, McBride 
said.

Statements of support for the Mescalero project were issued by U.S. 
Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall, Democrats from New Mexico and U.S. 
Rep. Steve Pearce, a Republican who represents the Second Congressional 
District, sent a representative to the ceremony Thursday. They noted 
that SUTA is a provision in the 2008 Farm Bill, which amended the Rural 
Electrification Act of 1936. The provision gave the Rural Utilities 
Service new tools to finance improvements in electric, 
telecommunications and water and sewer infrastructure in underserved 
tribal communities.

(snip)


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Richard Lowenberg, Executive Director
1st-Mile Institute     505-603-5200
Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504,
rl at 1st-mile.org     www.1st-mile.org
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