GRANTS, N.M. - Residents throughout the far reaches of Continental Divide Electric Co-op's service area are a step closer to gaining high-speed, fiber-optic internet, thanks to grant funding from the federal and state governments.
On Dec. 7, the Federal Communications Commission awarded CDEC $38 million through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase 1 competitive-bid auction to provide Red Bolt Broadband internet access to more than 8,400 homes and businesses throughout the co-op's service territory.
That is in addition to another $4.4 million awarded to the co-op in October by the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission and U.S. Department of Agriculture to extend CDEC's fiber backbone and fiber-to-the home service to the Pueblo of Zuni and Zuni Mountain areas.
"We are thrilled and grateful for the state and federally-sponsored grant programs. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical need for internet access in the rural areas of our country. This funding will go a long way toward bridging the digital divide in CDEC's service area," said CDEC ChiefExecutive Officer Robert E. Castillo.
The FCC award is part of a $9.2 billion RDOF allocation - to be distributed during the next 10 years - to help millions of rural Americans access high-speed internet service. In all, 18 entities received $165.2 million in RDOF money to provide broadband to unserved areas in New Mexico. Those incapable of offering gigabitspeed, which CDEC can offer through fiber-to-the-home, were required to bid at a level of reduced FCC funding support.
Overall, CDEC's $38 million was the secondlargest award for a project in New Mexico. RDOF funding recipients include electric co-ops, incumbent telephone companies, satellite services, fixed wireless providers and cable operators.
"We are extremely proud to be the largest New Mexico-based auction winner," Castillo said. "This award demonstrates the federal government's commitment to superior service in our area and is a testament to CDEC's ability and determination to provide the highspeed, low-latency signal necessary for the future success of west-central New Mexico's economic, educational and medical sectors."
CDEC's Red Bolt Broadband is a byproduct of the co-op 's ongoing effort to improve the reliability, efficiency, safety, and quality of its electric distribution system through Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition.
SCADA, a digital energy-management system, requires CDEC to install fiber-optic lines and other high-speed communications equipment throughout its service territory to monitor its electrical distribution grid remotely and gather data in real-time.
CDEC first made Red Bolt Broadband available to the city of Grants in 2017, then the village of Milan in January 2020. A build-out to Bluewater and San Rafael is presently in planning and design phase. This past summer, the co-op completed the communication tnmk line necessary to deliver one-gigabit service to schools in the Zuni Public School District.
"We are grateful to the USDA and PRC, and especially District 4 Commissioner Theresa Becenti-Aguilar, for the $4.4 million awarded in October, which now enables us to provide service to the broader Zuni and Zuni Mountain areas," Castillo said.
Headquartered in Grants, N.M., Continental Divide Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit electric distribution co-op wholly owned by the members it serves. Incorporated on Sept. 14, 1945, CDEC provides power to 24,202 active metered services throughout Cibola and parts of McKinley, Sandoval, Bernalillo, and Valencia counties, owns 3,963 miles ofprimary and secondary distribution lines, and has invested more than $115.2 million over the years to serve its members and customers.