Title
Consideration of Approval of the County’s Grant Match Agreement Providing $2,000,000 Grant Matching Funds for San IIdefonso Services' Connect New Mexico Grant for the Construction of the Pueblo's New Middle Mile Fiber Optic Line Connecting White Rock to Pojoaque
Recommended Action
I move that Council approve the agreement attached to this item, related to the on-going collaboration with the Pueblo de San Ildefonso for their approved and funded grant application to the New Mexico Office of Broadband & Expansion “Connect New Mexico Fund” in which the County is providing $2,000,000 as the required grant match amount.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council approve the item as presented
Body
County staff and San Ildefonso Services (a business partner for the San Ildefonso Pueblo) have been collaborating on a redundant fiber line to serve the County. The Pueblo expressed interest in partnering with the county in applying for a state broadband grant. The County Council took formal action by approving the grant match of $2,000,000 at the March 5, 2024 council meeting.
The project consists of building a new fiber optic line from White Rock to Pojoaque. This line will allow connections into the county’s existing fiber lines (in White Rock) and out to the internet (via an existing Redinet fiber line in Pojoaque). The line will have a total of 144 strands of fiber. The county will have use of 24 of those fiber strands. The remaining 120 strands of the fiber will be retained by the Pueblo. The new line will provide the community with a redundant fiber optic internet line off the hill, in addition to the existing Lumen line.
This requested action is to approve the formal grant match agreement describing the parties respective responsibilities. The subsequent step in this collaboration will be the finalization of a second agreement for long term services, referred to as an indefeasible right of use (IRU)-type telecommunications...
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