Next Generation Broadband in Montana

The reactions of established service providers are proving the company’s point–that there’s not enough competition in the telecommunications industry.

"The whole point of the program is to lure businesses here that would never have otherwise considered Kansas City," Barreth said. "And it’s a way that I’m hoping to put Kansas City on the map and really help people move here to exploit Google Fiber."

The project, called Montana West, utilizes the "Broadband Technology Opportunity Program" to build fiber optic cable from Polson south along Highway 93 into Missoula to the major data communications facility in Western Montana, the iConnect Montana "fiber hotel" at Higgins and Broadway.

Commissioners said they have a responsibility to provide direction for future broadband projects in the state and said the PSC survey is an opportunity for all Montanans to weigh in.

Residents of Provo will soon be among the most technologically connected people in the country with a chance for free Internet service at the fastest speeds in the country.

The question of who will install fiber-optic networks and who will control them is key because it could impact decades of economic growth. Telecom giants like AT&T think they should be the only player.

Education technology can’t fulfill its promise if students can’t get online.

If Missoula wants to make a name for itself in this century’s digital economy, where better to start than at its source: The networks that bring the Internet to homes throughout the community.

It’s confirming the very message it’s been trying to deny for years: that only when there’s real competition will AT&T invest in making a better service.

Through a combination of existing and emerging technologies, DSL providers starting as soon as this year are expected to increase their Internet speeds up to 100 megabits per second or more, which is comparable to the top rates offered today by Comcast and other cable Internet providers — and a lot faster than most consumers actually use today.