ALBUQUERQUE - U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall will co-host the New Mexico Broadband & Smart Grid Summit with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development on Monday, August 16.
The Summit, being held at the Moriarty Civic Center, will feature a keynote address by the Hon. Jonathan Adelstein, Administrator of the USDA Rural Utility Service (RUS). The address will be followed by two panel discussions moderated by Sens. Udall and Bingaman respectively.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided approximately $7 billion dollars to USDA RUS and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for improving broadband access and adoption. New Mexico is working to overcome digital divide challenges and harness broadband technologies to promote economic growth, education and healthcare delivery, especially in rural areas.
The "Wiring New Mexico for the Future" panel, moderated by Sen. Udall, will explore broadband access and affordability.
"Broadband networks enable economic growth in the same way that the interstate system did over half a century ago," Udall said. "I am eager to facilitate a discussion at the Summit to foster innovation and job creation through broadband deployment."
New Mexico, like many other states in the nation, is facing the challenge of modernizing its energy grid and integrating more renewable energy sources. New Mexico has been the recipient of federal monies that will fund smart grid research and projects. Some predict that Smart Grid technologies could transform power use as dramatically as the Internet revolutionized communications.
The "Bringing Broadband to Energy - Smart Grid in New Medico" panel, moderated by Sen. Bingaman, will explore the ability of New Mexico to pioneer this new energy landscape.
"I believe New Mexico can lead the way in helping to develop smart grid technology - the use of advanced, information-based technologies to increase power grid efficiency, reliability and flexibility. This summit will bring together an influential group of experts to help us determine what role New Mexico can play," Bingaman said.
At noon, the Hon. Anna Gomez, Deputy of the U.S. Department of Commerce NTIA, will speak about NTIA perspectives on broadband deployment.
Monday, August 16, 2010
WHAT: New Mexico Broadband & Smart Grid Summit
TIME: 8:30 a.m. - noon
WHERE: Moriarty Civic Center
202 Broadway
Moriarty, NM 87035
