Feds invest $2.8 million in Morton County broadband

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing nearly $3 million in broadband infrastructure in Morton County.

The USDA’s rural development state director Clare Carlson says the project will fill a gap in broadband service for 126 households south of Mandan.

BEK Communications Cooperative is providing nearly $500,000 in funding for the project. BEK CEO Derrick Bulawa tells the Bismarck Tribune the project is part of the cooperative’s efforts over the past nine years to expand the network in rural areas around Bismarck and Mandan.

Bulawa says the households that will benefit from the expansion are in one of the poorest served areas of the state.

___

Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com