Blackfoot completes TF project

Blackfoot Communications has completed the effort to bring fiber to Thompson Falls.

Construction on the Thompson Falls project began in 2019 and the Plains project began in 2022. Public Affairs Manager Chris Laslovich said that more than 650 miles of fiber optic cable is in the ground between the Thompson Falls and Plains project, and that number should be at 800 miles of cable. The Sanders County project includes nearly 3,000 service connections.

So far, Blackfoot has invested $27 million in the Sanders County project, with the final number expected to be close to $40 million. The company received $10 million in grant funding from the ConnectMT Act, passed by the 2021 state legislature, for the Plains-Riverside portion of the project. The Thompson Falls/Trout Creek project was not funded by Connect MT, “so it’s a big investment by Blackfoot,” Laslovich said. “It’s definitely our biggest project to date.”

While crews encountered challenges with the terrain and weather conditions, Laslovich said the project is going well. “We’ve been fortunate in sourcing supplies and materials, in large part due to the relationships we’ve built with contractors and other partners,” he noted.

Laslovich said having fiber in rural communities levels the playing field for residents. “If you live in Thompson Falls, you can have as high quality internet connection as anybody in the country. It opens up opportunities for people. For education, for business. There’s no longer a digital divide which for too long has been a reality for us here. The completion of this project in Sanders County is a big step for us,” he expressed.

Laslovich said with the Thompson Falls project wrapped up, the company is mapping out what the next few years will look like for continuing the work in the area. “Noxon is also a priority,” he added. He said the Plains project is about half done, and work will continue this year until weather prohibits it.