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Highlights the importance of connecting unserved and underserved areas in Montana
HELENA, MT - Governor Greg Gianforte today praised the Trump administration for streamlining the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) by eliminating Biden-era, unnecessary regulations and policies that hindered Montana’s ability to bridge the state’s digital divide.
“Today’s new guidance is exactly what Montana needed to invest $629 million to finally bridge our digital divide, especially in unserved and underserved areas of our state,” Gov. Gianforte said. “With tech neutrality at the core of the new guidelines, the Montana Broadband Office can now get the right technology at the best price to implement this historic investment. I thank President Donald J. Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for streamlining this program and getting rid of the burdensome rules put in place by the Biden administration.”
The new “Benefit of the Bargain” guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce will allow states to deliver high-speed internet access efficiently on a technology-neutral basis, and at the right price. The reforms are aimed at lowering costs, expediting implementation, and ensuring all technology solutions are considered as states expend BEAD resources. They also expand program rules to include highly viable service options alongside the option of fiber.
“The Montana Broadband Office is ready to go,” said Department of Administration (DOA) Director Misty Ann Giles. “We are grateful for the new guidelines and look forward to expanding broadband to unserved and underserved areas of our state.”
Expanding access to reliable broadband is a top priority for Gov. Gianforte.
After the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (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 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.
In August, Gov. Gianforte announced NTIA had given final approval to Montana’s BEAD proposal, allocating nearly $629 million to increase the state’s connectivity. A few weeks later, Montana was the first state in the nation to open its BEAD application portal.
The application and additional resources can be accessed at ConnectMT.mt.gov.