OBAE News:
COLUMBUS — State and local officials gathered today in the Village of Columbus to celebrate a broadband infrastructure project that has made high-speed fiber internet available to 822 homes and businesses in the Luna County border community.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony at Columbus Public Plaza marked a major milestone for the Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE), which awarded a $3.7 million grant through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to Valley TeleCom Group for the project.
Valley TeleCom Group has installed nearly 50 miles of optic fiber since construction began in June 2024, with nearly 200 homes and businesses connected to the network so far. The internet service provider contributed matching funds to bring the total project cost to $5.7 million.
“When construction started in June 2024, Columbus had virtually no broadband access, but today 822 locations have fiber at their doorstep and nearly 200 families and businesses are already connected,” said Jeff Lopez, director of OBAE. “This is what happens when federal investment meets local commitment — we deliver real infrastructure that changes lives.”
The project connects 724 previously unserved locations and 98 underserved locations. Unserved locations receive less than 25 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloads and 3 Mbps for uploads, while underserved locations receive between 25 Mbps/3 Mbps and up to 100 Mbps download speeds with up to 20 Mbps uploads.
Today’s ceremony included remarks from Lopez, state Rep. Jenifer Jones; Tim Bowlby, Valley TeleCom Group network manager; Philip Skinner, mayor of the Village of Columbus; and Luna County Commissioner Christie Ann Harvey.
“Valley TeleCom has invested more than $5 million dollars to install high speed fiber, and we feel this is going to be a huge game changer for our community,” said Philip Skinner, mayor of the Village of Columbus. “It will enable businesses, students and individuals to be more efficient and productive with their time. We feel very blessed.”
“At Valley, we believe that connecting our rural communities to high-speed fiber is about more than technology—it’s about empowering lives,” said Troy Judd, CEO of Valley TeleCom Group. “This milestone reflects our commitment to honoring our members’ roots while building a future full of opportunity and innovation.”
The U.S. Treasury awarded New Mexico with $117 million in grants through ARPA to expand and deploy broadband to unserved and underserved areas.
OBAE has awarded grants to more than 20 entities, including Tribal communities, internet service providers and cooperatives.