Tester hails $30M for Triangle to improve broadband

Staff and wire report

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., has hailed the news that Triangle Telephone Cooperative will receive a $30 million loan from USDA to upgrade its system to increase speed and service quality in central Montana:

“Triangle does a great job providing reliable service to folks in central Montana.  Continued investment in broadband will keep Montana small businesses connected to the global economy and ensure that families can more quickly access the information they need.”

The loan to Triangle Telephone Cooperative was announced Monday. It is about 40 percent of a four-state telecommunications loan package to improve broadband service in rural areas.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said residents of areas without high-speed Internet access are cut off from business opportunities and health care advantages that most people take for granted.

Havre-based Triangle is a 16-county central Montana cooperative stretching from the Canadian border to Wyoming. The loan will be used to lay Internet fiber in regions around Gilford, Hingham, Kremlin, Loma, Rudyard and Winifred, where people currently rely on copper fire for Internet.