Page 24 - Flathead Beacon // 6.24.15

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JUNE 24, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
ROUNDUP
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NORTHWEST MONTANA
1. Tester: $6.8 Million to Expand Broadband
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester announced last week that Frontier Communications will receive a $6.8 million award to expand broadband access to as many as 2,300 homes and businesses in Northwest Montana.
The Federal Communications Com- mission (FCC) award is part of the Con- nect America Fund, which incentiv- izes high-speed broadband expansion in unserved areas, according to a press release. The award will be distributed over six years.
Tester recently pushed FCC Chair- man Tom Wheeler to expand broadband access to all eligible unserved areas.
“In the 21st Century, reliable Internet access is just as important as roads and bridges to growing our economy,” Tes- ter said. “This award will give northwest Montana’s small business owners tools to expand their operations and ensures that folks have access to the world of informa- tion at their fingertips.”
Frontier has agreed to deliver broad- band speeds of at least 10 Megabytes per second, which is more than double speeds that were previously required by the FCC’s broadband rollout.
Tester also recently urged Wheeler to modernized his agency’s Universal Ser- vice Fund to provide financial assistance to telecomm carriers who supply service to rural customers.
MISSOULA
2. City of Missoula Wins Legal Fight to Buy Water System
A judge has sided with the city of Mis- soula in its effort to gain ownership of the water company that serves its residents.
District Judge Karen Townsend found that the city was able to prove its plan for a city-owned water system is more nec- essary than its current use as a private, for-profit enterprise. Townsend issued a preliminary order of condemnation on June 15.
City communications director Ginny
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Merriam told the Missoulian that city officials would comment after its attor- neys have a chance to read the decision.
The city had tried to purchase Moun- tain Water Co. for up to $65 million, but The Carlyle Group rejected the offers so the city filed a complaint for condemnation.
Townsend found the city could oper- ate the water system more efficiently and at less cost and could finance the purchase at lower interest rates than a private owner. She also noted the city would be eligible for government grants for upgrades.
Mountain Water President John Kappes said the company disagrees with the ruling and will take steps to exercise its rights as a private property owner.
While the eminent domain case was being decided, The Carlyle Group, a major investment firm, negotiated with a Cana- dian company — Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp. — to sell Mountain Water and two other water systems in Califor- nia in a package deal worth $327 million.
Carlyle Group attorney Joe Conner has suggested Mountain Water is worth $126 million.
EAST GLACIER
3. Judge Demands Explanation for Lengthy Delay on Energy Lease
A federal judge is pressing U.S. officials to explain why it’s taken three decades to decide on a proposal to drill for natural gas just outside Glacier National Park in an area considered sacred by some Indian tribes in Montana and Canada.
A frustrated U.S. District Judge Rich- ard Leon called the delay “troubling” and a “nightmare” during a recent court hearing. He ordered the Interior and Agriculture departments to report back to him with any other example of where they have “dragged their feet” for so long.
“This is no way to run a government. No way to run a government,” Leon told government attorney Ruth Ann Storey, according to a transcript of the June 10 hearing in U.S. District Court in Wash- ington, D.C.