The Montana Internet Corporation of Helena plans to provide wireless Internet service to Radersburg, a community in Broadwater County that lacks cellphone service and can access the Internet only through satellite or dial-up.
The corporation’s move into Radersburg is pending the Broadwater County Fire Board’s approval to place a distribution site on a high point in town, but MIC is hoping Radersburg residents will have wireless Internet before the snow flies.
It’s hard to make a business case for providing Internet to a town of 50 to 60 people, but MIC leaders said the expansion isn’t about making a profit.
“In 1994, when this company was started, it was started when there was no Internet in Helena,” CEO Chuck Siefert said. “Our business model has generally been to provide service when there wasn’t any.”
People are also reading…
Siefert was hired by MIC shortly after its inception, and for years he served as the company’s only employee. Now, the corporation has over 20 employees, about 50 Internet distribution sites and customers in Broadwater, Jefferson, Lewis and Clark and Cascade counties and over in Lewistown.
Getting Internet to Radersburg has been on Siefert’s agenda for years. The corporation’s wireless Internet requires a line of sight between towers, and the move wasn’t possible until MIC expanded to Toston last year.
Most people with Internet in Radersburg use a satellite service, which offers slow speeds and can become expensive very fast, MIC marketing director Josh Romandia said.
“Not only is Radersburg underserved, but they’re served with connections that are costly,” he said.
Once MIC’s Internet is operational, it could help solve some of the other communications issues. For instance, major phone providers like Verizon and AT&T offer set-ups so users can get cell service through an Internet hookup.
“It opens up a whole bunch of other options for them as well,” said Steve Utick, MIC’s head of operations.
MIC is able to serve homes near Radersburg through its Toston set up, and Romandia said those customers are excited to see Internet expand into town.
Beyond expansion to Radersburg, MIC also has several other projects in the works.
It recently purchased and took over the fiber line in Helena’s Nob Hill subdivision.
Fiber Internet offers high speeds, up to a gigabyte per second.
There are no definite plans for expansion outside of Nob Hill for the time being, but Siefert said MIC’s acquisition of the infrastructure opens up many possibilities for the Helena area.
“We’re very excited about it,” he said.
