The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Increases High-Speed Internet Service Access and Affordability for Montanans
Access to affordable and dependable high-speed internet service is now a necessity for individuals and families in Montana and across the United States. From accessing health care through a telehealth visit to attending classes for distance learning in pursuit of higher education to earning a salary for employment that occurs partially or fully remotely, the internet now touches almost all aspects of our lives. Nevertheless, too many Montanans lacked access to reliable, affordable broadband internet service. This is changing.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed and signed into law in 2021, included an historic $65 billion investment in improving access to high-speed internet for people across the country and lowering internet service costs. Broadband provisions in the law included the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP), and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program (BEAD).
Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provides a monthly discount on internet services for income eligible households. Eligibility is determined by household income or household participation in other public assistance programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) or Medicaid.
Among the benefits provided by the ACP is up to $30 monthly to cover the cost of internet service. On qualifying Tribal lands, this household benefit can be increased to $75. In addition, through the ACP, internet providers can provide an internet-connected desktop computer, tablet or laptop with a value of up to $100 with a co-payment of $10 to $50, thereby not only connecting households to the internet but giving them a way to utilize it as well.
Funding for the ACP expired recently because Congress has not yet taken action to extend the funding. Twenty-three million households across the country receive support from the program, but reimbursements have already been reduced for the last month of the program, May 2024, and the program stopped taking new applications in February.
As of April 2024, Montana had received $32,968,720 in funding from the ACP, saving families in Montana $1.8 million collectively each month on internet bills. Approximately 1 in 8 or 54,539 households in the state are enrolled in the ACP. Nationally, the ACP has provided over 23 million eligible low-income households with high-speed internet service.
Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP)
The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) provides $3 billion to support the efforts of Tribal governments to bring high-speed internet to Tribal lands and improve access to telehealth and distance learning. The TBCP awarded four grants that totaled $142.9 million to four Tribes in Montana:
$33.2 million to the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation
$15.3 million to the Chippewa Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation
$41.5 million to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation
$52.8 million to the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation
Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program (BEAD)
The Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program (BEAD) provides $42.45 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand high-speed internet access. This funding facilitates internet access by funding planning and infrastructure deployment across the country. All fifty states are creating Five-Year Action Plans for BEAD in order to outline and define their goals and priorities in utilizing the funding provided through this program. The Montana Broadband Office’s vision is to “narrow the digital divide in support of Montana’s economic, workforce, health, and educational goals by ensuring reliable, affordable internet access for everyone in the state.” The Office aims to deploy broadband service to all unserved locations and places particular emphasis on meeting the challenges of doing so in a state with varied topography and a large rural population. In addition, the Office will emphasize digital opportunity, ensuring that it provides the necessary resources to various populations in order to work toward closing the internet adoption gap.
The Future of High-Speed Internet Access and Affordability
Funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program – the cornerstone of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s efforts to improve and expand access to broadband internet across the country – expired recently because Congress has not yet taken action to extend the funding.
The Biden Administration’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget, however, seeks to extend the program. The budget includes a pending request for $6 billion to continue the ACP for the remainder of this year and notes that the administration will work with Congress to secure additional funding for 2025 and beyond for this program. In addition, the budget includes $112 million for the ReConnect Program, which provides grants and loans to bring broadband to unserved areas, with a focus on tribal communities.
Access to affordable high-speed internet service is essential to the daily lives and livelihoods of Montanans. Since the passage and implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Montana families have saved a combined $1.8 million each month on internet bills and more Montanans can attend classes remotely, meet with a health care provider through a telehealth visit, and participate in the economy. With improved access and affordability, Montanans have stronger connections and more opportunities.
