The Montana Broadband Office (MBO) is pleased to announce the reopening of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Prequalification Application in accordance with the June 6 NTIA BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice, which expands participation and modifies and replaces non-statutory regulatory requirements contained in the BEAD NOFO. The following are invited to participate in the Prequalification process:
Previously approved prequalified applicants are not required to reapply for prequalification.
Action Required by June 27, 2025
If you are interested in participating in the MT BEAD program and have not previously prequalified, please complete your prequalification application by June 27, 2025 through the AmpliFund Opportunity Page.
Please review the webinars on Prequalification on the ConnectMT Events page and the Prequalification Application Guide updated June 13, 2025 on the ConnectMT ISP Resources page. Please note that several questions are no longer applicable and there is updated guidance e.g. for non-applicable questions the corresponding text box should contain “N/A.”
We appreciate your interest and effort in applying for Prequalification to the BEAD program. Thank you once again for your dedication to expanding broadband access in Montana. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at ConnectMTTechAssistance@mt.gov or 406-444-4099.
In accordance with the June 6 NTIA Restructuring Policy Notice, the Montana Broadband Office (MBO) is providing unlicensed fixed wireless (ULFW) providers with the opportunity to indicate that BEAD-eligible locations are currently served by existing ULFW networks and meet the requirements outlined in Appendix A: Unlicensed Fixed Wireless Service Requirements.
ULFW service providers must have sufficient capacity to meet the statutory speed requirement of 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload, specifically, the network design for ULFW projects must demonstrate the ability to provide at least 5 Mbps (100Mbps downstream service - to be scaled for higher speed commitments) of simultaneous capacity to each BSL in the project area.
Action Required
To express your intent to submit evidence of service, please send an email to: ConnectMT@Mt.gov This email should contain the organization name and primary point(s) of contact information. Responses indicating intent to provide evidence must be received by MBO within seven days of this notice posting (June 12, 2025). Providers will have no later than (7) calendar days after receiving a response from MBO to proceed with completing the required documentation.
The documents reflect the BEAD Main Round Application Guide and supplemental materials. As such, they are subject to revisions and enhancements. Please note that the State of Montana reserves the right to provide updates or modifications as necessary.
As per NTIA guidelines, found in the NTIA Challenge Process Policy (Section 10.6)
0= unserved
1= underserved
2= served