Board recommends spending $30,000 to support internet

A recommendation to spend up to $30,000 to support the installation of high speed internet in Boulder will go from the Boulder Development Fund Board (BDFB) to the city council.

The recommendation, approved August 1 by the BDFB, is the fifth allocation proposed from the $500,000 grant provided by the state to encourage economic development in the wake of the ongoing closure of the Montana Developmental Center.

Under the proposal, the city would work with the county and Montana Internet to bring wireless internet with a speed of up to one gigabit per second into town. Backers of the proposal told the BDFB there are already businesses interested in operating in Boulder if high speed internet were available.