ConnectMT Requests Montanans’ Feedback to Increase Broadband Access

• Contact: ConnectMT@mt.gov
• November 18 2022

Helena, Mont. – The Montana Department of Administration (DOA) today announced a new round of statewide outreach sessions to inform the administration’s work to increase broadband access and quality across Montana.

In December, researchers with Summit Consulting, LLC will host public outreach sessions in Butte, Missoula, Havre, and Miles City to collect feedback on the DOA’s five-year plan to improve internet access and quality in Montana. Earlier this fall, the group conducted outreach sessions in Billings, Glendive, Glasgow, Kalispell, Great Falls, and Helena.

Research conducted by the group will help ensure a comprehensive understanding of Montanans’ internet needs and meet the goal of increasing internet access across the state.

It is estimated that nearly 24% of Montanans do not have an internet subscription of any kind. Expanding access to reliable broadband and bridging the digital divide are hallmarks of the governor’s Montana Comeback Plan.

For details about the upcoming public town halls and community leader sessions in Butte, Missoula, Havre, and Miles City from December 5-8, please visit the ConnectMT website. There will be two different types of sessions in each city: community leader sessions (open to select stakeholder groups) and public town halls (open to the general public).

Following the governor’s historic investment to close the digital divide last year, the ConnectMT Program will deliver up to $266 million to expand broadband service in underserved, unserved, and frontier locations throughout Montana.

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