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Community groups and Comcast present digital‑equity needs assessment for southern Doña Ana County
Summary
Maria Chaparro, founder of Mamacita Sibernéticas, told the Doña Ana County Commission on Jan. 28 that a Comcast‑funded needs assessment of Chamberino, Chaparral and Vado found cost, lack of local public access and limited Spanish‑language digital training are the main barriers to digital inclusion.
Maria Chaparro, founder of Mamacita Sibernéticas, told the Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 28 the group and partner Comcast surveyed residents in three southern Doña Ana County communities and documented specific barriers to home Internet access and digital skills. "The majority of people say the cost of Internet is too expensive," Chaparro said, summarizing the survey findings. She said many residents rely on smartphones but lack technical support and Spanish-language training.
The presentation, supported by Kyle Beterwulf of Comcast, described community focus groups run in Chamberino, Chaparral (border area shared with Otero County) and Vado del Cerro. Chaparro said the assessment deliberately asked community members to define problems and propose solutions; common recommendations included community‑center digital navigation, locally scheduled classes in Spanish, incentives for participation and partnerships with schools and Dona Ana Community College.
Jamie Michael, Doña Ana County director of Health and Human Services, and several commissioners praised the report during discussion. Commissioner Sheldo Hernandez said the report “ties into our strategic plan” and urged county staff to use it for planning. Commissioner Gloria Gámedos suggested engaging youth as digital navigators and linking the work to a proposed county youth commission.
Nonprofit partners at the meeting, including Rosie Natividad of Insight Network, offered to convene multi‑stakeholder “Equity Action Labs” to translate the findings into an implementation plan for community centers, workforce development and grant applications. Chaparro said the team will pursue competitive state funding and called the report a blueprint for local digital‑navigation services.
No board vote was required; commissioners directed county staff to review the report, consider it in the county strategic plan, and bring grant and budget options back to the commission. Commissioner Reynolds and others asked staff to seek updates from Comcast and state broadband offices on prior infrastructure commitments for southern parts of the county.
Ending: Presenters urged county and city agencies, community colleges, Internet service providers and philanthropy to coordinate. Chaparro said, "This report could and should be used for the implementation of digital navigation services," and commissioners asked staff to return with concrete next steps and funding options.
