State outlines plan for broadband jobs

Apr. 24—Administrators, engineers, heavy equipment operators, electricians and accountants.

Those are just some of the jobs that are going to be needed in the coming years as New Mexico seeks to increase internet connectivity.

The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions last week released a report about building a strong broadband workforce in the state. It was the first of several reports on the matter, and it was dedicated to the jobs that will be needed to increase connectivity.

Secretary for the Department of Workforce Solutions Sarita Nair said the state is trying to harness public funding, including from federal government programs, to address a gap that has existed for years in the state: Some people have access to reliable internet and others don't.

"We have real gaps in connectivity," she said. "It's a real challenge for our state to modernize."

The report was the first part of the state's Broadband Sector Strategy. It was created as part of an effort to bring together public officials, industry, educators and the community to work toward universal broadband access.

DWS estimates that 143,000 New Mexico residents and businesses, or about 16% of the state, were unserved or underserved in terms of internet access in 2023. There are billions of dollars worth of projects needed to shore up internet access, according to the department.

Nair said there are several reasons why New Mexico lags behind other states in terms of internet access.

"Specifically, that combination of being rural, and then having such a patchwork of property ownership. You have tribal land next to state land next to federal land, which means that every time we try to construct a transmission line ... you're talking about a really complicated situation in terms of right-of-ways and construction permits," she said. "So on top of being rural, we have a lot of challenges that are common to other Western states, but not very common nationally."

The state report identified several types of jobs that will be needed in the coming years to address disparities in internet access.

Those jobs include:

 Administrative

 Construction

 Engineering

 Machinery

 Computer

 Electrical

 Financial

 Telecommunications

Nair said the state is working with community colleges and universities to build the needed workforce.

She said there are multiple reasons why, from an economic development perspective, the state wants to increase broadband access. There will be jobs needed to build up the infrastructure. Then, once connectivity increases, New Mexicans and businesses will have more educational and business opportunities.

"Broadband is a growing career field that will need a trained and skilled workforce for years to come. Because internet connectivity is needed for every aspect of modern life, jobs will be available in every community from rural to urban to support the new infrastructure," Acting Broadband Director Drew Lovelace said in a statement. "The investments that government and industry make into New Mexico's broadband workforce will be the foundation for New Mexico's economy of tomorrow. It is exciting to see the cooperation developed between the (Office of Broadband Access and Expansion), DWS and industry. We cannot wait to see the results in the coming years."

Nair said there are internet access disparities in rural parts of the state as well as urban areas like Albuquerque.

She said even places that do have better internet connectivity, like Albuquerque, will benefit from expanding services to rural parts of the state.

For example, she said that will allow local health care companies to see more rural patients because they could use virtual visits. And other Albuquerque businesses will be able to partner with businesses and people in different parts of the state.

"As time goes by and the connectivity becomes more and more distant ... the rest of the state's broadband health is going to be increasingly important to Albuquerque," she said.

In 2023, New Mexico had one of the lowest workforce participation rates in the country. Nair said that was part of the reason DWS is trying to highlight the jobs the state will need in the near future: to motivate people to consider new careers in emerging fields.

"When we do projects like this, part of what we're trying to do is get people excited about the future they can have in an industry," Nair said. "And that's another reason why I think broadband is going to be really valuable. It's going to bring people into the workforce who maybe didn't really understand what their path would be beforehand."