The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) determined that ConnectMT projects have a low likelihood of impacting Cultural Resources when the construction is expected to take place fully within ground where non-historic activity resulted in a disturbance or displacement of soil, such as existing Right-of-Way (ROW) or Utility Corridor. The SHPO defines cultural resources as places of human activity, construction, or modification occurring 50 years ago or more. For broadband projects considered to have a low likelihood of impacting CResources, Internet Service Providers (“ISPs”, “subgrantees”), at the recommendation of SHPO, will be allowed to self-certify via their Submittable portal, as an alternative to formal file searches.
In all other circumstances, if some or all of the Project Area is within previously undisturbed ground, native rangeland, or attached to any Resource that is over fifty years of age or is outside of an existing Right-of-Way (ROW) or Utility Corridor, the ISP should contact SHPO and submit a file search request form along with the applicable Project Area map to the SHPO. If SHPO then does not recommend a cultural resource inventory, SHPO will prepare a letter for the ISP to submit to the DOA ConnectMT Broadband Program. If the File Search results recommend conducting a cultural resource inventory, SHPO will advise the ISP to hire a cultural resource consultant to survey the areas where the new ground disturbance will be taking place. Further information on this process can be found here: SHPO Consultation
The following chart is comprised of all eighty (80) application packages received by the ConnectMT Federal Allocation Program, First Allocation Offering Season (ConnectMT’22 Program). Each application package can be identified by a unique Application #, the Application Title (provided by Applicant), and the Applicant Organization. The ConnectMT’22 Program received allocation requests for $521,488,379.64, proposing to serve 158,019 locations throughout underserved, unserved, and frontier areas in Montana. The categories below reflect the priorities set forth in Montana’s 67th Legislature HB 632 and Montana’s 67th Legislature HB 297.
Other categories include:
Sixty challenges were received through the ConnectMT website. The ConnectMT Program reviewed those challenges and conducted its own review of the proposed project areas, the results of this review are presented in the table below. The primary purpose of the challenge process was to ensure the accuracy of the ConnectMT map and that all awarded funds are used to deploy broadband service infrastructure to unserved or underserved areas. (Note: Only challenges to active applications are shown in the table.)