ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The New Mexico Office for Broadband Access and Expansion is launching a network to connect students around the state to high-speed internet.

The office recently partnered with Lumen to create “the school-centric broadband network.”

“The state of education network is gonna be transformative for New Mexico’s education system,” said Drew Lovelace, the director for the New Mexico Office for Broadband Access and Expansion.

Lovelace spoke Thursday at 21st Century Public Academy in Albuquerque, the first school in the network. It’s a project that’s been years in the making.

“Ultimately, we’re providing equal access so that every school, every student has an equal opportunity to learn and expand,” said Michelle Watson, the vice president of Lumen.

Lumen responded to a request for proposal about three years ago from the state broadband office. Now, they’re connecting the first eight schools to the network and are working to add another 50 to that list.

“We’re providing the high-speed fiber connectivity across the entire state connecting the schools,” Watson said.

They think of it as a new platform for students and teachers to connect. They can connect without having to use the internet to share resources, like class material, websites and other information.

“Because it’s connecting the schools, it’s connecting the students where they live. And it’s doing so in a cost-effective manner,” Watson said.

Officials say the network will provide over 900 miles of high-speed fiber across the state. Lovelace said this will help ease some of the load on schools.

“We have the ability to take the burden of all the procurement processes for the internet off of the schools and house at the state level. We have the ability to deal with cyber security threats at the network and at that state level,” he said.

For schools that want to hop on the network, reach out to the broadband office. For more information, click here.