Signed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that establishes the office of broadband access and expansion and creates its powers and duties.

Highlights:

• Defines "broadband infrastructure" as any cable or device used for high-capacity transmission of a wide range of frequencies enabling a large number of electronic messages to be transmitted or received simultaneously (Sec. 2.A).

• Establishes the Office of Broadband Access and Expansion which is administratively attached to the department of information technology (Sec. 3.A).

• Requires the broadband office to do the following (Sec. 3.C):

• Establish by rule standards for quality of service for homes, businesses, and public institutions;

• Create and maintain an official, publicly accessible online New Mexico broadband access map showing broadband availability and quality of service for homes, businesses, and public institutions on a county-by-county basis; and

• Create and maintain a repository for broadband data and information in New Mexico on a county-by-county basis, including:

• The number of homes and businesses that do not have access to broadband service;

• The number of homes and businesses that have broadband service that falls below the quality of service standards established by the broadband office; and

• The locations of broadband infrastructure currently owned or projected for construction by the state or local governments on a county-by-county basis.

• Requires the broadband office to update and revise the statewide broadband plan developed according to this law for the ensuing 3 years and report the updated and revised statewide broadband plan to the governor and the legislature (Sec. 3.E).

• Authorizes the broadband office may form an advisory committee comprising representatives of state, local and tribal government agencies and the general public to facilitate the collection of information and the development of proposals for the statewide broadband plan; provided that if an advisory committee is formed, at least three different tribal agencies will be represented on the committee (Sec. 3.I).

• Requires the broadband office to identify federal and nongovernmental broadband funding assistance opportunities for local governments, public educational institutions, state agencies, and tribal governments and shall publish a list of those opportunities in a manner that can be searched on a county-by-county basis (Sec. 4.A).

• Requires state agencies and public educational institutions to coordinate with the broadband office concerning the purchase of broadband infrastructure and services to obtain best-value or bulk pricing agreements where practicable (Sec. 4.C).

Full Bill Text