Monday, Jul 18 2011 3:44PM
Roughly 300 miles of fiber optic cables are being installed in western Montana.
Earlier this month, construction began on fiber optic cable installation for two reservations in western Montana, KPAX-TV reports.
The project is being funded by a $13.7 million broadband stimulus award given to Ronan Telephone Company (RTC), the station states.
RTC chairman Jay Preston told the source the project should not only provide low-cost internet to residents who have had little or no access in the past to viable connectivity, but also supply a considerable number of jobs for local residents.
He added rural communities in the U.S. pay on average 10 times more than urban areas for telecommunications.
Additionally, Carole Lankford, a Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes tribal council member, said the installation is long overdue for rural residents.
"The rural community has been left out," she told the station. "It's time to just get up to speed with telecommunications and allow our children to have better opportunities in education and all different areas."
The project is expected to be completed sometime in 2013.