Christie Anne Harvey – photo: Facebook
“The goal of providing ‘Internet for All’ is a challenge for rural counties…” Christie Anne Harvey
DEMING – Luna County has received a grant award of $99,000 to enhance its internal capacity for Grant Writing, Engineering, and Planning (GWEP). The funds aim to address the economic development goal of providing high-speed, affordable, and reliable internet service to every county resident. The Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) announced the award at the end of June.
The GWEP award is specifically intended to bolster the county’s capabilities in grant writing, engineering, and planning related to broadband expansion. Christie Ann Harvey, Executive Director of the Greater Luna County Opportunity Council, emphasized the importance of this support: “The goal of providing ‘Internet for All’ is a challenge for rural counties. We are thankful the state is providing support during this critical time. The funds will help us conduct broadband planning and engineering to create public/private partnerships for broadband expansion to even the most remote locations in Luna County.”
The GWEP funds will provide temporary support for capacity building within the county. The grant mandates that engineering, planning, and grant submissions be completed by June 2025. Over the next year, multiple federal and state broadband grant programs will become available. Harvey highlighted the significance of this support, stating, “Without this additional capacity building support, the county would struggle to address complicated broadband infrastructure opportunities to benefit our businesses and residents.”
Internet service providers with plans to expand in Luna County are encouraged to contact Christie Ann Harvey at the Greater Luna County Opportunity Council via email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-229-8066. This initiative is a crucial step towards achieving the vision of comprehensive internet access for all residents of Luna County.