Investment to increase broadband connection for nearly 500,000 locations

HELENA, MT. – Governor Greg Gianforte on Aug 1st, announced the approval of Montana’s Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) proposal, bringing his administration’s total investment in expanding broadband connection in the state to nearly $1 billion.

“Through this generational investment, Montana will continue leading the nation on expanding reliable, high-speed connections and bridging the digital divide,” Gov. Gianforte said. “We’re unlocking doors and creating greater access to good-paying jobs, high-quality education, and affordable health care.”

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approval of Montana’s BEAD proposal means an allocation of close to $629 million will come to the state to increase Gov. Gianforte’s ability to create greater connectivity.

After the NTIA announced the BEAD program in 2023, Gov. Gianforte was one of the first governors in the nation to issue a letter of intent to apply for the planning grant, allowing Montana’s Department of Administration’s (DOA) to move quickly and submit an application to secure the resources necessary to deliver broadband to nearly 500,000 Montanans in unserved and underserved communities.

“The cost to deliver broadband on the scale needed, combined with Montana’s low population density, makes it challenging to bring areas of our state online,” DOA Director Misty Ann Giles said. “BEAD funding provides a unique opportunity to meet these challenges, expanding broadband to unserved and underserved areas of Montana.”

With this latest approval, Montana has one year to launch the grant application, receive grant applications from providers, and submit selected proposals to NTIA for approval. On August 15, the BEAD portal will open for applications at ConnectMT.mt.gov.

Upon signing their grant application, selected providers will have four years to deploy broadband services to Montanans in unserved and underserved areas.

In a separate announcement last fall, Gov. Gianforte announced a historic $310 million broadband investment to extend access to reliable broadband for nearly 62,000 Montanans.

Expanding access to reliable broadband is a central element of Gov. Gianforte’s Montana Comeback Plan.

For a video from Gov. Gianforte celebrating the announcement, see here.

For providers interested in applying to be part of the BEAD process, or for Montanans interested in learning more, please visit ConnectMT.mt.gov.