Last checked October 30, 2026.
About 89% of Montana households pay for some kind of broadband, but the gap between towns and the rest of the state is wide: 93% in Gallatin County versus 74% in Roosevelt County. In larger towns, home internet starts around $30 to $60 a month; in much of rural Montana, satellite or fixed wireless may be the only option.
Who has broadband
| Area | Households with a broadband subscription |
|---|---|
| Montana | 89.4% |
| Gallatin County (Bozeman) | 93.3% |
| Missoula County | 93.0% |
| Yellowstone County (Billings) | 91.4% |
| Flathead County (Kalispell, Whitefish) | 91.2% |
| Roosevelt County (Wolf Point) | 74.1% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024, table B28002 (data.census.gov); our calculation. “Broadband” here includes cellular data plans and satellite; Roosevelt County’s figure has a wide margin of error. This counts households that subscribe, not where service is available.
On availability, BroadbandNow, a commercial site, estimates that 83% of Montana residents can get wired or fixed-wireless service of at least 25/3 Mbps and 34% can get fiber (BroadbandNow, August 2026). Before you rent or buy outside town, check the exact address on the FCC National Broadband Map and call the providers it lists.
What it costs
| Type | Example advertised prices | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Cable (Spectrum) | $30 a month for 100 Mbps, $40 for 500 Mbps, $60 for 1 Gig; promotional for the first year | Larger towns (Spectrum, October 2026) |
| 5G home internet (T-Mobile) | About $35 to $70 a month with AutoPay, depending on the plan; more without | Where T-Mobile has 5G coverage (T-Mobile, October 2026) |
| 5G home internet (Verizon) | $60 to $85 a month with AutoPay and a Verizon phone plan; more without | Where Verizon has 5G coverage (Verizon, October 2026) |
| Satellite (Starlink) | $55 a month for 100 Mbps, $85 for 200 Mbps, $130 for the top tier, plus equipment | Almost anywhere with a clear view of the sky (SatelliteInternet.com, prices from June 2026) |
Local fiber providers and telephone co-ops such as Blackfoot, 3 Rivers and others serve many towns, but they didn’t publish prices we could check. Prices change often and depend on the address; these are only examples. BroadbandNow estimates 53% of Montana residents can get a wired plan for $60 a month or less.
New money for rural internet
Montana received $629 million from the federal BEAD broadband program (ConnectMT FAQ, July 2026). In August 2025 the governor approved about $308 million in preliminary awards for 32 projects covering roughly 72,000 homes and businesses, using fiber, fixed wireless and low-earth-orbit satellite (Governor’s office). Satellite got a little over 16% of the money but about two-thirds of the locations (Daily Montanan, August 2025). The state’s final plan was federally approved on December 9, 2025 (ConnectMT).
Cell phones
Coverage is good in and between the larger towns and along the interstates, and spotty in the mountains and much of eastern Montana. We didn’t find a recent official coverage figure; check carrier maps for the roads you’ll actually drive. Our salary calculator budgets $130 a month for phone and internet together.