Federal Funding Creates New Opportunities For Internet in Montana

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - The federal government has allocated $40 billion to expand high-speed internet access through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, and Montana officials are proud to be the first in line to open the BEAD Portal to grant applicants.

I spoke with Misty Ann Giles, Director of the Montana Department of Administration.

Montana Received $629 Million out of $40 Billion for Rural Broadband

“In 2021 Congress enacted the Investment Infrastructure Jobs Act, (IIJA), and it allocated $40 billion to the states to support rural broadband deployment,” began Giles. “Montana was fortunate enough to receive $629 million of those funds, and so we've been working feverishly over the last year to comply with all the rules and regulations at the federal level to get ready and prepare for this moment today.”

Giles said the application pipeline is open for companies throughout rural Montana to get started supplying high-speed internet.

Montana Companies will be Applying for Funding Starting Today

“We're ready to accept applications from our companies to get these locations served, and so we'll work through that process in the next few months, make selections of companies that should get awards, and then we'll submit those results back up to our federal partners, and then hopefully cut checks and get fiber in the ground,” she said.

Giles said even though service providers are lining up for the money, they realize that the federal government will require a great deal of accountability.

“Our citizens are really hungry and ready for this and excited,” she said. “Obviously, our companies are excited as well, but obviously, they’re a little cautious. They call it ‘free’ federal money for a reason. The feds put a lot of hoops and hurdles on it, and so we've been working really close with all of our telecommunication providers over the last year, doing some very heavy technical assistance and stakeholder outreach to try to ensure that they're ready for today.”

For those interested in the process, she supplied the website to get more details on how Montana will benefit from our share of the federal funds.

Companies will Have Four Years to Deploy Broadband Services

“You can go to our Connect Montana website, and we've got a contact link there where you can reach us via email as well as our phone number,” she said. “We always welcome feedback from not just our providers that deliver these services, but we hear a lot of times from concerned citizens that just are inquiring ‘Hey, is this coming to my community? When is that coming?’ All of that information is on our website, including information about the application and how the program is structured, so we've made it relatively easy for folks to be able to reach us.”

Companies that receive funding will have four years to deploy broadband to Montanans in unserved and underserved areas.

The exact funding from the Investment Infrastructure Jobs Act for Montana is $628,973,798.59.