STATE News:
- Broadband for Education Initiative Connecting More Students than Ever Before
ALBUQUERQUE — Gov. Susana Martinez has announced that 110,000 more New Mexico students have access to high-speed Internet at school.
The Governor began an initiative to connect every New Mexico student with high-speed Internet at school by the 2018 school year. Since her 2015 announcement, 99 percent of New Mexico’s public schools now have access to high-speed Internet – and the partnerships leveraged through the initiative have reduced costs to connect students by more than 60 percent.
“Every child can learn, and it’s up to us as leaders to give our kids the tools they need,” Martinez said. “High-speed internet is a necessity today, and progress like this will help more of our students and teachers have more of the digital tools and experience they need. I’m grateful for all our partners as we work to make the vision of high-speed internet access for all New Mexico students a reality.”
State-of-the-art, high-speed Internet connections are at 99 percent of New Mexico public schools now, up from 89 percent in 2015. The partnerships leveraged through Governor Martinez’s initiative have also decreased the cost of connecting New Mexico students with high-speed Internet by nearly 60 percent in less than two years – one of the largest drops in the country.
“Giving students and teachers reliable access to high-speed internet has never been more important,” Public Education Secretary Christopher Ruszkowski said. “This is great news for our kids – they deserve the tools they need to achieve their dreams.”
“Working closely with Governor Martinez and her BB4E program, we have made incredible progress in connecting New Mexico’s public school districts during the past two years,” said Evan Marwell, CEO at EducationSuperHighway. “The FCC’s E-rate program has also been crucial in giving New Mexico’s schools the funds that they need to attain high-speed Internet access. Together, we are continuing to move the needle forward and are thrilled that we’ll be able to meet the connectivity goals of the program next fall.”
Governor Martinez’s initiative brings together a partnership of state agencies like: the Public Education Department, Department of Information Technology and the Public Schools Capital Outlay Council; national nonprofit EducationSuperHighway; and internet service provider partners. The partnership leverages $49 million state funds with additional federal E-Rate program funding to purchase, upgrade and install high-speed internet access for schools throughout New Mexico.
