SB 152 Heads to Governor, $10M Program Could Aid Hidalgo County

Senate Bill 152 would establish the Low-Income Telecommunications Assistance Program, authorizing an initial $10 million drawn from the State Rural Universal Service Fund to subsidize broadband for low-income New Mexico households, according to the New Mexico Office of Broadband Access & Expansion press release posted Feb. 19. The bill cleared the Legislature after a unanimous Senate passage reported as 38-0 on Feb. 12 and a 48-14 vote in the House, and multiple outlets reported it was sent to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk.

Sen. Michael Padilla, D-14, introduced SB 152 with cosponsors Rep. Pamelya Herndon, D-28, and Rep. Debra Sariñana, D-21, and the Office of Broadband Access & Expansion says the measure was prepared in consultation with the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission. Communitynetworks records show SB 152 was first filed on Jan. 26, 2026. OBAE Director Jeff Lopez framed the proposal’s aim: "Our mission is more than delivering broadband to rural and remote parts of the state. It is critical that New Mexico families be able to afford high-speed internet. This bill will provide discounts to ensure that income doesn’t deter New Mexicans from getting access to broadband."

The $10 million initial allocation would come from the State Rural Universal Service Fund, which the OBAE press release and other summaries note has $40 million specifically earmarked for broadband programs by current statute. Benton and Broadband Breakfast report that the initial $10 million could assist as many as 27,000 low-income New Mexicans in the program’s first year, while Communitynetworks reports the Public Regulation Commission would be empowered to offer up to $30 per month for qualified households.

SB 152 also contains language authorizing larger funding after the initial year. Benton and Broadband Breakfast state that "after the first year up to $45 million may be authorized" to expand subsidies, a scale that those outlets say could potentially serve more than 100,000 households. Communitynetworks offers a larger estimate, reporting the law "will directly support 173,000 households" in its coverage that states Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the legislation; that piece does not include a calendar date for the signing. The public record presented in multiple sources therefore shows differing accounts on final household reach and on whether the governor had signed the bill as of the Feb. 19 press release; Connect NM and Broadband Breakfast reported the bill was sent to the governor on Feb. 19–20.

No source in the material provided names Hidalgo County specifically or provides county-level allocations or eligibility thresholds. Local officials, community organizations and Internet service providers in Hidalgo County would need program rules from the PRC and final guidance from OBAE or the governor’s office to determine how many Hidalgo households qualify. Reported administrative contacts from the OBAE press release are broadband@connect.nm.gov and phone (505) 637-1911; the release also lists OBAE staff including Director Jeff Lopez, Deputy Director Aquiles Trujillo and Policy & Programs Bureau Chief Andrew Wilder.

Next steps in the process outlined by the sources are PRC rulemaking and implementation if the governor signs and the PRC establishes subsidy mechanics. The legislative record cited here notes Senate passage reported as unanimous and a House vote of 48-14, an initial $10 million allocation from a fund with $40 million earmarked for broadband, and statutory language that could allow up to $45 million in later authorization to expand the Low-Income Telecommunications Assistance Program.