Big winners in the auction include Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which received nearly $886 million to expand broadband in 35 states. That includes nearly $73 million for more than 29,000 sites in Montana. The company is on an ambitious mission to launch thousands of satellites into space as part of its Starlink project, creating a massive network to expand broadband across rural parts of the country.

SpaceX won bids to provide internet across Montana, including swaths of Lincoln, Flathead and Glacier counties and small pockets along the Hi-Line at Cut Bank, Shelby and Havre. SpaceX also will serve an area east of Bigfork, while CenturyLink will serve long stretches east and west of Flathead Lake down to Polson, as well as a stretch along U.S. 2. Frontier Communications will expand internet across much of Sanders County.