State Broadband Summit Urges Redundant Fiber Routes, Better Coordination

Leaders from state government, industry and local jurisdictions convened at the New Mexico Broadband Summit on December 9 to map a path toward greater internet reliability after a series of outages affected Los Alamos in 2025. More than 400 attendees discussed concrete actions to prevent future interruptions, including planning redundant fiber routes, speeding permitting and expanding local technical training.

Organizers and presenters identified coordination failures among permitting agencies, internet service providers, contractors and utilities as a central weakness that contributed to the outages. State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard pointed to permitting delays when routes cross state trust lands as a persistent bottleneck. Industry participants underscored how slow approvals increase the risk that single points of failure will persist along critical routes.

The summit framed proposed improvements as a multi year effort tied to federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment funding. Jeffrey Lopez of the New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion outlined progress on infrastructure projects, including a San Ildefonso to Los Alamos redundant fiber route that is expected to be completed in mid 2026. Officials emphasized the project as one step among several required to deliver the redundant paths that local residents and institutions have called for.

Supply chain pressure created by large data center builds and a constrained workforce surfaced repeatedly in discussions. Attendees highlighted the need for targeted training to expand the pool of fiber technicians, and cited programs at Santa Fe Community College as examples of workforce development tied directly to infrastructure goals. Private sector leaders, including Scott Lopez, chief executive of Vida Mejor Capital, urged investment in redundant routes and improved communication among stakeholders to reduce the chance of future service interruptions.

For Los Alamos County residents the implications are immediate. Reliable broadband affects emergency communications, telework, education and local businesses. The summit produced a timetable and focus areas rather than instant fixes, signaling that residents and local officials will need to track permitting progress, construction milestones and workforce initiatives as projects move forward. Ensuring transparency around project schedules and accountability for coordination among agencies will determine whether the plans discussed at the summit translate into lasting improvement in network resilience.