{"id":180,"date":"2026-02-21T10:02:53","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T10:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demingnews.com\/?p=180"},"modified":"2026-02-21T10:02:56","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T10:02:56","slug":"luna-county-awarded-328767-to-expand-free-public-wi-fi-in-high-traffic-areas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demingnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/luna-county-awarded-328767-to-expand-free-public-wi-fi-in-high-traffic-areas\/","title":{"rendered":"Luna County Awarded $328,767 to Expand Free Public Wi-Fi in High-Traffic Areas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>DEMING \u2014<\/strong> Luna County has been awarded <strong>$328,767<\/strong> through the State of New Mexico\u2019s Community Connect Program to expand free public Wi-Fi access at high-traffic county facilities across the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The funding will support a project titled <em>\u201cFree Wi-Fi for High Traffic Community Areas,\u201d<\/em> aimed at increasing reliable, high-speed internet access for residents who rely on public spaces for connectivity. The project will deploy indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi at several county-owned locations frequently used by low-income and digitally underserved populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">County officials say limited access to reliable internet continues to be a barrier for many residents, particularly in a region facing higher-than-average unemployment and lower household income levels. The expanded network is expected to support access to telehealth services, online job applications, remote work, workforce training, education, and communication with family and public safety services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis project is about access and opportunity,\u201d said <strong>Bryan Reedy<\/strong>, Community Development Director for <strong>Luna County<\/strong>. \u201cFree public Wi-Fi at the places residents already gather for services, recreation, and support ensures that no one is left behind in today\u2019s digital economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Planned project locations include the Dispatch Center and Courthouse area, the Public Health Department, La Casa Healing House, Transitional Housing facilities, and the Starmax Recreation Center, including outdoor recreation spaces. In total, the network is expected to cover nearly <strong>678,000 square feet<\/strong> of indoor and outdoor public space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The project will install more than 20 advanced access points utilizing modern Wi-Fi technologies and fiber-supported backhaul, providing minimum speeds of 100\/20 Mbps per connected device and the capacity to support hundreds of simultaneous users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">County officials say the investment represents a long-term commitment to digital equity, economic mobility, educational advancement, and improved public health access, while strengthening overall community connectivity throughout Luna County.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DEMING \u2014 Luna County has been awarded $328,767 through the State of New Mexico\u2019s Community Connect Program to expand free<span class=\"more-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/demingnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/luna-county-awarded-328767-to-expand-free-public-wi-fi-in-high-traffic-areas\/\">Read More &rarr;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["entry","author-john-k","post-180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - 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