HELENA — Last week, federal authorities announced they had approved Montana’s plan to distribute hundreds of millions of dollars to expand high-speed internet service across the state. Now, state leaders say they could start sending out that money by the end of the year.

(Watch the video for more details on Montana's broadband plan.) Montana gets initial approval federal broadband funds

This summer, Montana submitted its final plan for the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program, or BEAD. The program, funded through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, provided $42 billion in grants nationwide, intended to help reach the goal of bringing broadband to every American.

Montana is one of 18 states that has received initial federal approval for their BEAD plan.

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