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Committee recommends keeping and modernizing broadband fund, with affordability dollars retained
Summary
SB152 would remove a sunset and restructure uses of a rural telecommunications fund to preserve maintenance dollars, expand broadband and keep an affordability allocation; the committee recommended the bill 8–0 after broad stakeholder support and identified further technical amendments ahead of Finance.
The Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee voted to recommend Senate Bill 152, which reauthorizes and modernizes several uses of the state rural telecommunications fund and preserves a dedicated affordability component.
Sponsor Senator Michael Padilla and Jeff Lopez, director of the Office of Broadband Access and Expansion, said the bill removes an impending sunset and keeps $18 million for maintenance and operations, $12 million for broadband expansion and a $10 million base for affordability programs. Lopez noted the federal Affordable Connectivity Program lapsed in 2024 and that "affordability is the barrier" even where broadband is being built; he said as many as 180,000 households previously participated in the ACP in New Mexico.
Public testimony included tribal, chamber and nonprofit support and technical suggestions from industry stakeholders. Speakers stressed the importance of affordability for low‑income households and for tribal communities that are harder to serve.
Sponsor and proponents said further technical amendments are expected before the bill goes to Finance; the committee recorded an 8–0 do‑pass recommendation and will route the bill to the Finance Committee for continued markup.
