Gov. Martinez touts fast internet in Artesia

ARTESIA — Gov. Susana Martinez was in Artesia on Tuesday, touting her administration's new plan to get all schools in New Mexico access to high-speed Internet by August 2018.

The governor originally announced the plan on Oct. 15 at an elementary school in Bernalillo.

The $49 million plan involves improving infrastructure to allow for the installation of fiber-optic connections and upgrading Wi-Fi networks inside schools, the release said.

Non-profit organization EducationSuperHighway, whose goal is to provide high-speed Internet to all schools in the nation, is working with several state agencies, including the Public Schools Facility Authority, the Public Education Department and the Department of Information Technology.

Artesia Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Thad Phipps said EducationSuperHighway had audited the internet capabilities of the schools in the city of Artesia and deemed them adequate before the school year began.

"We've been very fortunate to stay very current," said Phipps. "Students and staff here in Artesia have as fast of Internet as is available on the market."

Peñasco Elementary in Hope, a rural school within the district, was determined to be in need of increased internet speeds.

"They're not telling us anything that we didn't already know," Phipps said. "It's a matter of geographic location."

Phipps said a fiber-optic cable would be the best option to reach the school, which he said generally serves anywhere from 26 to 28 students yearly. However, the school is 45 miles west of Artesia, which would make for an extensive project.

According to a press release sent by the governor's office, 30 percent of schools in New Mexico do not have high-speed Internet.

“I have always believed that every child can learn – no matter their circumstances or background. But as leaders, we must also give our students the tools they need to succeed. In 2015, that means providing every school with access to high-speed Internet,” Gov. Martinez said in the release. “For many of New Mexico’s kids, this commitment will be a game-changer, allowing our students to access tools and content where it matters most: in the classroom.”

Locally, Carlsbad and Loving districts are also already equipped with high-speed Internet capabilities.

Gabe Lopez, director of technology at Carlsbad Municipal Schools, had only positive things to say about the technology, which he estimated the district has had for more than eight years.

"We're one of the districts that does have it available, which has been a real blessing," he said. "It lets us have wireless devices in the classroom, streaming videos. If we didn't have that (high-speed Internet), those things would be impossible."

That may be the case for many districts in New Mexico.

Aside from Artesia, Bloomfield Schools, Central Consolidated Schools, Cobre Consolidated Schools, Deming Public Schools, Espanola Public Schools, Farmington Municipal Schools, Gadsden Independent Schools, Gallup-McKinley City Schools, Hondo Valley Public Schools, Jal Public Schools and West Las Vegas Public Schools are beginning to work with the project, according to the release.

Although his district is not looking at working with the initiative at the moment, Phipps said he believes it's a worthwhile cause.

"Every minute is crucial in that classroom," he said. "If they're having to wait for pages to load, that's a big waste of time."

Maddy Hayden can be reached at 575-628-5512.