Next Generation Broadband in Montana

Saying goodbye to buffering, collaborating in cool ways and keeping a lid on prices for fast local Internet and TV service are just a few plusses to having super-fast broadband.

A new federal proposal that permits local governments to create or expand their own high-speed networks is a serious eye-opener and potential game-changer in the telecommunications world, according to some experts.

The fiber-optic network would provide access to high-speed broadband, initially aimed at business and government, on a city-owned network that would then be leased to service providers who would sell service to customers.

Local representatives attending the 2015 Gigabit City Summit discussed how gigabit connectivity can drive regional economic development.

Veniam is aiming to create a reliable, ubiquitous WiFi for on the move passengers and workers, reducing the reliance on cellular data, and creating truly smart city centres.

This plan aims to create an open access network to draw in more providers like Charter to Bozeman.

"By wiring the city it will ensure our economic and social future," Brennan said. "We talk about building roads and building highways and building housing, but one of the key pieces of infrastructure for the city moving forward is high-speed Internet."

A "real time" chart ranks Montana as 43rd out of 51 states and districts.

"The Obama Administration believes that consumers should have the option to provide themselves broadband services through local government and locally-owned utilities and that state and local policy should support a level playing field for these community-based solutions."

On Wednesday, Obama will unveil a series of measures aimed at making high-speed Web connections cheaper and more widely available to millions of Americans.