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| Abby Foster |
Attorney Abby Foster, hoping to deny Bassan a second term, reports to the city her campaign now has about $20,000 in cash on hand, much of which came from prominent Dems.
Bassan has opted for public financing and will receive $40,000 in city funds so Foster still has a way to go.
Among those donating to Foster were the campaign funds of state Senator Bill O'Neill and Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart. Both funds gave $1,000. The Lori Bencoe law firm donated $1,683 and attorney William Ferguson came with $1,000.
The Dems are painting Bassan as indecisive and use as an example her reversal on city sanctioned homeless camps--first she approved of them then backtracked. They will also try to tie her to Trump and anti-abortion legislation.
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| Brook Bassan |
However, the GOP is expected to help Bassan with extra financing in trying to tie Foster to Mayor Keller's unpopular crime fighting policies, a potent issue that could be enough to block the challenger.
The Council is currently controlled by the Dems 5 to 4 but conservative Councilor Louie Sanchez often votes with the R's.
The loss of the District 4 seat by the GOP would be significant since they have controlled it since 1999.
One Dem following the action closely puts the odds at an upset of Bassan at "about 25 percent."
BROADBAND (CONT. COVERAGE)
We're going to keep pounding the table for the state broadband office, the congressional delegation and other involved parties to move faster on extending broadband by employing satellite internet and other wireless alternatives as the buildout of fiber continues at a snail's pace.
Conservative Hispanic activist Sam LeDoux, who has worked on high profile GOP campaigns in Arizona and New Mexico, omits satellite (we'll work on him on that), but does come with this op-ed urging a faster build out of internet access wirelessly:
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| LeDoux |
As companies and the state look to find ways to get cable in the ground, maybe it is better to promote better access to wireless internet.
Many of the large cellphone carriers such as Verizon and T-Mobile are now offering home internet using their 5G service. Expanding access to 5G would be less expensive, less taxing on the land and easier than laying cable.
The services offered are often cheaper to consumers than DSL, cable, and satellite internet. Expansion of 5G would also mean greater access to cellphone communications, which would make living in remote parts of the state easier and safer. In my city of Española, access to these 5G networks provided reasonable and much-needed competition to the only broadband option in the city.
New Mexico’s digital equity issues are a major problem of our time. . .However, New Mexico’s challenges as a rural state need to be taken into consideration when planning the infrastructure opportunities that lie ahead of us. We need to examine if burying cable really is the best use of the resources available.
Also as smartphones continue to outpace desktop and laptop computing, are we really future-proofing the state’s needs?
I hope municipalities, counties and the state consider the options before them when trying to bridge the digital divide and educate themselves on the issue. . .
Fiber is the fastest speed for internet but not all residents need or want it. Speeds of 150 mbps are more than adequate for many households. There are alternatives to fiber for those citizens. Instead of making them wait for years, why not pursue them?
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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2023
(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2023