Montana’s Republican Senator Steve Daines helped reintroduce a bipartisan bill Tuesday that would bring high-speed internet to rural parts of the state.
In a press release, Daines says the bill cuts red tape and better allows companies, state and local governments to install broadband infrastructure on federal land.
It would also allow states to install broadband conduits as part of certain federal transportation projects — like building a new highway or digging out a new lane.
According to a recent report by the Federal Communications Committee, almost half of rural Montanans can’t get fast internet.
Daines’ bill was first introduced in 2015, but it stalled in committee.
