Rural New Mexico school buys Starlink internet for students

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A school district in northwestern New Mexico is announcing a $1.2 million deal to provide hundreds of families with high-speed internet.

Cuba schools superintendent Karen Sanchez-Griego says installations of SpaceX’s Starlink receivers at students’ homes started in November. She says her students can’t wait any longer for quality internet access, which state and nearby tribal authorities never completely provided, even during the pandemic.

The school district plans to install 450 units, which cost $500 each.

Funding to pay monthly internet subscription fees will eventually run out. Sanchez-Griego hopes state officials will cover the tab when that happens.