A Colorado company is set to start building out broadband internet for users in the El Rancho area, with financial support coming from Santa Fe County.
Commnet Broadband, a utility company based in Castle Rock, Colorado, that specializes in constructing broadband networks in rural and Tribal areas, announced in a news release Wednesday that it plans to expand a broadband network for residents in El Rancho, Jacona and Jaconita. The broadband network will extend to cover more than 3,000 homes and businesses in the El Rancho area, according to the release.
Pojoaque Valley Schools will also receive a fiber connection through Commnet's buildout.
The Colorado company is partnering with Santa Fe County and REDINet, a community broadband company based in Española, for the buildout. Work is planned to start in January and service could be available by March 2023, according to the news release.
Commnet estimates the cost of the expansion to be $139,775, according to the release. Money provided by Santa Fe County will cover the full cost of the work, a public relations representative for Commnet told Albuquerque Business First.
The company plans to hire service technicians to maintain broadband networks throughout northern New Mexico, including in El Rancho, the representative said.
The broadband service would come with up to 25 megabits per second download speeds and three megabits per second upload speeds, as noted in the release.
Commnet is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ATN International Inc. (NASDAQ: ATN). It received regulatory approval for the acquisition of New Mexico-based Sacred Wind Enterprises this November.
Sacred Wind Enterprises operates the Ethos Broadband, Connect 66 and Sacred Wind brands. Ethos Broadband recently started building out a broadband network in Sierra County.
Commnet's work in El Rancho comes as New Mexico wraps up dolling out $38.6 million to four companies, including Ethos Broadband, to fuel broadband expansion in rural and Tribal parts of the state.
