Nearly 91% of New Mexico now has access to high-speed internet, and more than 120,000 additional homes and businesses have gained connections since 2022, according to the state's Office of Broadband Access and Expansion.

The figures come from the office's annual Data Collection Report to the Legislature, released October 1, 2026. The report also sets a near-term benchmark: 94% of the state should have broadband access by the end of 2026.

"Nearly 91% of New Mexico now has access to high-speed internet, and more than 120,000 more homes and business have been connected since 2022," the office wrote in the report.

What does the 91% figure actually measure?

The number reflects statewide broadband availability — meaning locations that can obtain a high-speed connection — rather than the share of residents who subscribe to a service. The distinction matters for policy debates, because availability typically runs ahead of adoption, particularly in rural and low-income areas where affordability remains a barrier.

The report consolidates data collected by the state office from providers and other sources, and serves as New Mexico's annual accounting to its legislature on the pace of broadband expansion. States with large rural populations, including New Mexico, have relied on a mix of federal funding programs and state-level initiatives over the past several years to close coverage gaps in areas where commercial deployment economics have historically been weak.

How fast is the state moving?

The trajectory outlined in the report is steep by recent standards:

• Nearly 91% of New Mexico has high-speed internet access as of the October 2026 report.
• More than 120,000 homes and businesses were connected between 2022 and the report's cutoff.
• 94% coverage is projected by the end of 2026, implying a further three-point gain within a matter of months.

If the end-of-year target holds, New Mexico would be within striking distance of universal availability, with the remaining gap concentrated in the hardest-to-reach locations — typically sparsely populated, geographically difficult terrain where per-location deployment costs are highest.

The roughly four-year window since 2022 coincides with the period in which federal broadband programs funded through the 2021 infrastructure legislation began flowing to states, though the report itself does not break down deployments by funding source.

What comes next?

The annual Data Collection Report to the Legislature functions as the state's mechanism for tracking progress against its coverage goals, and future installments will determine whether the 94% target for the end of 2026 is met on schedule. The remaining unserved and underserved locations represent the most expensive final tranche of the buildout, and closing that last gap — from 94% toward full coverage — will likely define the next phase of New Mexico's broadband program.