NTIA is requesting to modify the permitting timetable to allow the Project Sponsor to conduct additional surveys to support the Section 106 consultation, development of the ESA biological assessment, and more refined details regarding the proposed route alignment. Additional time is needed to conduct the surveys, some of which were not known at the time the original permitting timetable was established. Additional time is also needed to conduct further coordination between the Project Sponsor and Tribes regarding alignment of the proposed route and protection of important resources. The completion date for the NPS Permit action is dependent on the timing of completion dates for NTIA’s NEPA action.
Cooperating under NEPA
Description:
If in fact the broadband would cross El Malpais National Monument we would need to be a cooperator under both FAST and NEPA since we would likely need to issue both a Right-of-Way permit and Special Use Permit and would need to rely on the NEPA review you all are putting together to cover those actions. If that is the case, we will need to involve our Right-of-Way office, park, and the regional office.
Milestones:
-
Environmental Assessment (EA)
:
EA Process Concluded (Agency Action)
- Current Target Date: 09/15/2025
-
Environmental Assessment (EA)
:
EA Process Concluded (Agency Action)
- Current Target Date: 09/15/2025
All dates below are specific to the schedule of the Environmental Review and Permitting processes for this project.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING STATUS
IN PROGRESS
ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING
01/31/2026
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING PROCESSES
COMPLETED
SECTOR
Broadband
CATEGORY
Project Category
FAST-41 Covered Projects
LEAD AGENCY
Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration
View FAST-41 Postings by Agencies
Other Agencies with Actions or Authorizations:
Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
Department of the Army, US Army Corps of Engineers - Regulatory
Department of the Interior, National Park Service
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Description:
The Pueblo Education Network builds middle mile broadband infrastructure for tribes, enabling digital economy participation and effectuating last-mile internet access to homes and anchor institutions and tribal businesses. The Pueblo Education Network also creates a private education network connecting tribal PreK-20 schools and libraries to each other and to national research and education networks, modernizing Indian Education in the global information age. The overall footprint is approximately 324 miles. The project originates in Albuquerque, New Mexico and travels through Isleta Pueblo, Acoma Pueblo, and Zuni Pueblo lands with the fiber path ending at the at the Zuni Elementary School, Zuni Head Start Building, Zuni Governor’s Office, and Zuni High School. The fiber path will primarily be immediately adjacent to already established roads and will travel through private lands, Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, New Mexico State Land Office, Navajo Nation lands at Ramah, and Zuni Pueblo lands.
-
Environmental Assessment (EA)
:
EA Process Concluded (Agency Action)
- Current Target Date: 09/15/2025
-
Environmental Assessment (EA)
:
EA Process Concluded (Agency Action)
- Current Target Date: 09/15/2025
Original Target Date: 07/31/2024
Milestone: Final decision/agency action (Agency Action)
Requested extensions greater than 30 days for this Action are shown below:
Final decision/agency action (Agency Action) extended by 137
From: 07/31/2024
To: 12/15/2024