Montana Advances Opportunity with Digital Equity

To close Montana’s digital divide, the Montana Broadband Office (MBO) created a Digital Opportunity Plan, which addresses broadband adoption barriers in four main areas: availability, service affordability, device access, and digital skills. To implement MBO’s plans in each of these areas, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded the office over $6.9 million in Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program funding. MBO’s key activities include:

• Upgrading facility access for the Montana School for the Deaf & Blind to support distance learning across Montana;
• Expanding the Last Mile Prison Coding and Web Development Program for the Montana Department of Corrections; and
• Connecting rural Montanans to workforce development and other essential services through the Montana Prosperity Portal.

Here is a look at MBO’s full slate of planned activities, the timeline for executing its Digital Opportunity Plan, and the plan’s alignment with other Montana priorities.