Ziply eyes Montana as new frontier for its fiber

Ziply Fiber has set its sights on Montana for its next expansion. The operator unveiled plans to build fiber to nearly 29,000 addresses in Billings and Great Falls—marking Ziply’s first major expansion in the state. Previously, it only offered service in the towns of Libby and Troy. Ryan Luckin, Ziply’s VP of marketing, said that Ziply will use a combination of buried and aerial fiber for the deployments and expects to complete construction in Billings and Great Falls by the fall. Ziply’s also plotting to turn up another 26,000 addresses with fiber in Missoula, Helena and Butte. Meaning it’s targeting a total of around 55,000 new locations with fiber. Ziply also has its eye on Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding. Montana is set to receive a BEAD allocation of $629 million from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, as well as $6.9 million for digital equity efforts.