Broadband for Broadwater
Author: Bill Upthegrove
Are you aware that Broadwater County ranks 50th in Montana Counties for connected broadband? In the next several weeks I hope to provide a series of articles that define broadband (internet), its value, some definitions, and explain Montana’s Connect MT Act, which is aimed at helping us receive reliable, low-cost high-speed internet.
Broadband internet is another name for high-speed internet service, usually defined as 25Mbps or faster. Most residents of our County experience much slower speeds. This includes Townsend, Toston, Wheatland, and Winston.
In Broadwater County we see internet connectivity provided by several providers in different forms. The most reliable (and least available) is fiber optic lines that run to your door. Broadwater County has 10.7% wired connectivity compared to 98% in Meagher County. A common approach in our County is wireless, which is typically limited by “line of sight” to the tower.
The next two most common ways to get internet are through your phone provider or a satellite provider. Almost all of these in our county have drawbacks due to speed, reliability, data limits, and/or cost.
Let me review a few reasons why high-speed internet is important:
• It is needed for video conferencing when our children are required to work from home due to COVID.
• As Telemedicine expands in healthcare, it is needed to link the Doctor to the patient without a clinic visit.
• It is a requirement for most businesses and is a requirement for economic development.
• It connects the AG community due to the latest equipment and up to minute business connections.
• It has become a requirement for people that now work from home.
• Our first responders find it necessary to stay connected.
• It allows you to “cut the cable” and use low-cost streaming TV.
• And maybe most important, high-speed internet is expected by young people. If you hope your kids will return to Broadwater County, understand what their expectations and needs are.
The intent of these articles is to build support for making an organized effort to pursue Connect MT Act funds. Our commissioners are already researching how we should best proceed. Please provide your support for reliable low-cost high-speed internet provided to residents in the last mile of our County. Next week we will discuss some of the technical aspects of Broadband for Broadwater County.
The reference for internet connectivity comes from https://www.broadbandnow.com/Montana.
