Pilot broadband cost overrun grant

The Rural Utilities Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded a $2.218 million Project Grant to Penasco Valley Telecommunications Cooperative of Artesia, New Mexico on March 29, 2023. The grant is part of the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loans and Grants program (CFDA 10.855), which aims to expand the use of telecommunications technologies to provide educational and medical services in rural areas through distance learning and telemedicine projects.

Under this award, Penasco Valley Telecommunications Cooperative will use the funding to address cost overruns associated with its existing broadband pilot project. The grant will allow the cooperative to complete deployment and provide improved broadband access to underserved rural communities in New Mexico by the project's March 2025 end date. This supports the Distance Learning and Telemedicine program's goal of encouraging telemedicine and distance learning applications in rural areas through expanded telecommunications infrastructure and services.