Broadband for Montana Schools Awards 2 Grants, Additional Funding Available – Schools can learn how to access funding during a Feb. 23 webinar

Two Montana public schools have been awarded state match funds to pay for special construction charges for broadband upgrades, increasing Internet access for their students.

The Broadband for Montana Schools program has approved funding for Belfry K-12 Schools and West Valley Elementary.

Kalispell’s West Valley Elementary has already completed its project to construct a lit fiber network, increasing Internet speeds to 100 megabits per second.

Thanks to $2 million in funding made possible through House Bill 390, and assistance from the nonprofit EducationSuperHighway, improved broadband connectivity is now a reality for more Montana schools. Broadband for Montana Schools provides a state match to leverage broadband funds available through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) E-rate program for Montana’s public K-12 schools.

"It couldn’t have worked out any better for us," said West Valley Technology Director Mark Wilson. "All of the support was there, our E-rate consultant assisted in filing the E-rate paperwork, EducationSuperHighway kept us coordinated on next steps, and the state matching fund helped pay for the cost of the upgrade."

http://commerce.mt.gov/News/PressReleases/broadband-for-montana-schools-awards-2-grants-additional-funding-available