Laguna Pueblo, NM Welcomes Fiber Network

LAGUNA PUEBLO, NM and RALEIGH, NC – The six villages of Laguna Pueblo are now connected to the the Laguna Pueblo Broadband Network, a comprehensive telecommunications system comprised of fiber-optic circuits, fixed wireless towers, and equipment that provides broadband and other high-speed Internet services to every home and building. The $3.3 million total project was made possible through six coordinated Community Connect Grants through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s RUS Broadband Initiatives Program.

Sacred Wind Communications a privately owned, New Mexico-based company, dedicated to improve telecommunications services to rural areas within New Mexico, managed the construction of the network, and Sacred Wind Telesolutions will serve as the Internet Service Provider while mentoring the Pueblo’s Utility Authority. NeoNova, one of several public, private and non-profit entities involved in making the network possible, will provide subscriber services, network management, and professional services for the network.

The Laguna Pueblo is a Native American tribe of the Western Keresan Pueblo people. It is located in West-Central New Mexico and is home to approximately 8,000 people. Sacred Wind not only will serve as the Internet Service Provider, but the company also plans to provide Internet use education for adults at locations throughout the village in classrooms donated by Albuquerque Public Schools.

NeoNova will provide Sacred Wind with a number of ISP solutions including Google Apps and other end-user applications administered through the NovaAdmin provisioning platform. The programs are designed to enhance the benefits of communication and collaboration, through the cloud, by combining high-end technology with premium customer support so residents of the Laguna Pueblo community can have superior broadband access and services.