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Governor appoints federal policy adviser as new state broadband director
Jun. 23—The Governor's Office on Monday announced a new director of the state Office of Broadband Access and Expansion, effective immediately: Jeffrey Lopez.
The new leadership comes a month after former Acting Director Drew Lovelace left the office, which is housed within the state Department of Information Technology. A spokesperson for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's office at the time told the Journal the state decided to go in a "different direction" looking for its permanent executive.
The Governor's Office also said Lovelace resumed his former duties as operations manager, though Lovelace's LinkedIn indicates he left the office in May.
Lujan Grisham in a statement backed Lopez's ability to fulfill the role of director and deliver reliable, high-speed internet around New Mexico, including its rural and tribal communities, which have long struggled with access.
Lopez's annual salary is $170,000.
"Jeffrey possesses the perfect combination of federal policy knowledge, broadband program prowess and familiarity with New Mexico communities that our state needs to maximize the historic broadband investments underway," Lujan Grisham said.
Lopez previously served as senior policy adviser and state staff to U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., who chaired the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband. The Governor's Office said Lopez also worked on the federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Act, from which New Mexico received $675 million to connect households to good internet.
But even with the federal grant, the broadband office estimates about 95,000 households in New Mexico are still left without broadband access. Lovelace approached the Legislature this year with a $70 million ask to fill the gap with satellite technology, but wasn't able to secure the funding.
Lujan Grisham on Monday also appointed Aquiles "Alex" Trujillo to serve as deputy director for the broadband office, who has decades of experience in broadband and telecommunications. Trujillo will make an annual salary of $160,000.
