Governor Gianforte Celebrates Fiber Broadband Expansion in Rural Montana

Joins Visionary Broadband in Whitehall to announce completed and continuing projects

• July 16 2025

WHITEHALL, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today celebrated the expansion of Visionary Broadband’s fiber broadband network in Montana during a ribbon cutting ceremony held in Whitehall.

“Expanding access to reliable, high-speed connections and bridging the digital divide has been a top priority in Montana,” Gov. Gianforte said. “By working with partners like Visionary Broadband and supporting projects like this, we’re ensuring reliable connection for our rural communities and creating greater access to good-paying jobs, high-quality education, and affordable health care.”

Gov. Gianforte and Visionary Broadband CEO Brian Worthen speaking during a ceremony in Whitehall

Joined by Visionary Broadband CEO Brian Worthen, Gov. Gianforte announced the completion of a fiber broadband project in Hardin and ongoing construction in Butte and Whitehall.

“Homes have a need for reliable broadband. Businesses have a need for reliable broadband. Visionary saw this need in Butte, Hardin and Whitehall, and we stepped up, matching funds for the projects,” said Worthen. “I hope to continue our efforts to create an even playing field for communities through newly built broadband.”

In December 2022, the governor announced the Visionary Broadband projects as a few of a total of 61 projects approved for federal funding. Montana’s broadband grant program, ConnectMT, utilizes $119.9 million provided by the federal government through the Capital Projects Fund program under the American Rescue Plan Act.

Visionary Broadband had a small presence in Butte and Red Lodge prior to this year’s expansion in Montana through the grant-funded fiber projects. The new projects enhance service in Whitehall and extends coverage to Cardwell, Piedmont, Pipestone, Twin Bridges, and Waterloo.

Expanding access to reliable broadband is a top priority for Gov. Gianforte.

After the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (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 the Montana Department of Administration to quickly apply and 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.