Bigfork's internet troubles leave local users feeling disconnected

In recent months, Montana Senators Steve Daines and John Tester have urged the Federal Communications Commission to pursue initiatives improve internet access to rural communities. The aim is to address the “digital divide” between urban and rural areas, a disparity that is felt particularly in Bigfork, where internet connectivity is slow, spotty and sometimes nonexistent.

“There’s areas you can move to where you expect to have really good internet,” said Rebekah King, executive director of the Bigfork Chamber of Commerce. But the same physical attributes that attract people to the resort town — such as Flathead Lake and the Swan Mountains — also make it hard to establish the infrastructure for high-speed internet.

The rocky soil and hilly landscape in Bigfork further complicate the internet situation there, preventing many customers from being able to access services like wireless internet because they aren’t in the line of sight of wireless towers.

The infrastructure in much of the Bigfork area is inadequate for many modern users’ needs, and the small, seasonal population in the area makes it a low priority for upgrades.

“We’re rural. There’s not the population base to justify the costs,” King pointed out. She recognized it doesn’t make sense for companies to spend millions of dollars to install internet cables in areas around Bigfork where there may only be a handful of people living in every square mile.

King explained the Bigfork area largely relies on lines that only run in one direction, rather than the looped system in place in many other areas.

“If a line gets cut, we’re down,” King said. “A line can get cut in Woods Bay and affect downtown Bigfork.”

This unreliable situation has jeopardized some Bigforkers’ livelihoods and made living in the otherwise idyllic town a “nightmare.”

Deanna Beuth works for a mortgage company out of her home in the area just north of downtown, locally, known as Ice Box Canyon. She moved into a brand-new house in fall 2017 — but it took six months of wrestling with internet companies before she finally got service at her home, which doubles as her office.

“Because I work from home, I needed to make sure — it was crucial,” Beuth said of internet access in her new residence. When she first moved in, she said, “Initially, I was panicked.”

She waited half a year and purchased a hotspot — a small mobile internet access point — before her service was finally set up in 2018. Since then, she said she hasn’t had any additional problems, but she noted that speeds are moderate and her bandwidth needs are pretty basic.

She was shocked by how difficult it has been to finally get to this point.

“There’s absolutely no reason why we shouldn’t have internet,” Beuth commented. “We’re literally right next to town ... We’re not that rural.”

She’s not the only Bigfork businessperson who has had to go to desperate lengths to meet her internet needs.

Charlie Eppard also lives in the Ice Box Canyon area since moving to Montana with “aspirations of life in the mountains.”

He worked out a deal with his tech company employer to work from home, but the slow speeds made it nearly impossible to perform remote duties like web calls.

“It caused a ton of pain and uncertainty in my job,” he remembered.

He tried to contact his provider and even filed grievances with the Federal Communications Commission, but he said he was essentially told “you’re not going to move the needle on this.”

He said he “had to get creative” and resorted to purchasing satellite internet and a hotspot.

“I didn’t have a lot of options,” he said. Even with paying for multiple internet services, he said it could take 30 minutes for a file to download.

It wasn’t until recent infrastructure upgrades at Streeter’s Corner — the intersection of Montana 35 and 83 — that Eppard finally got adequate internet access for his job. Now, he said his service is “wonderful.”

“I think it’s being addressed, it just took time,” he said. But he said the uncertainty of internet access is troubling because “people are making decisions that impact their livelihood.”

Jennifer Shelley knows more than a few people whose livelihoods have been impacted by the internet situation in Bigfork.

As a realtor, Shelley said multiple sales have fallen through because the potential owners couldn’t get the internet access and speeds they wanted in many areas around Bigfork. She has now made it a habit to write in internet expectations into standard contracts.

“A lot of properties are not considered because of the lack of service,” Shelley said. “It’s definitely a huge factor.”

In the last five years, she said there has been a definite transition as internet access has become ubiquitous for homeowners.

“Internet and technology is the foundation for whatever, wherever you’re going to live,” she said.

But as little as “10 minutes out of town,” Shelley said, internet service can be completely insufficient for modern homebuyers. “That’s where we have some of those beautiful properties,” she noted, but the lack of internet availability makes them much less attractive.

In her experience, the digital shortcomings in Bigfork arise because service providers don’t see it as a high-priority area. She said these rural communities are overlooked “because we’re little ol’ Montana.” but she pointed out, “There’s a lot of stuff happening in little ol’ Montana.”

Representatives from various internet providers have insisted customers in Bigfork are not at a disadvantage.

Bret Picciolo with Charter/Spectrum said, “We are not limited by our infrastructure in Bigfork. In fact, we offer the same gigabit connection to residential and business customers in Bigfork today as we do in New York City and Los Angeles.”

He said Spectrum internet in Bigfork starts at 100 megabytes per second — the general minimum to be considered “fast” internet — and can reach up to 400 mbps.

Amber Pacheco-Holms with MontanaSky agreed, “Bigfork’s got it all.” The local provider has three towers that provide wireless internet to the Bigfork area.

And CenturyLink’s Public Relations Manager Jeremy Jones was equally positive in an email: “We understand how important high-speed internet service is to our customers. CenturyLink has proudly served the citizens of Bigfork for many years, and we’ve expanded broadband availability and access to higher speeds for both business and residential services over the past couple of years.”

Jones said CenturyLink can reach speeds of 100 mbps in some areas in and around Bigfork.

But MontanaSky’s Pacheco-Holm acknowledged rural customers may have a more difficult time getting internet access than those in higher-populated areas. “The further out you are, the fewer options there are. That’s not specific to Bigfork,” she said.

Despite providers’ affirmations, many locals aren’t satisfied with the speeds and availability in the area. Organizers like Kim Morisaki with Montana West Economic Development have tried to find ways to improve this situation.

MWED organized a broadband symposium in June 2018 to discuss internet issues throughout the valley. Morisaki said they have considered private market solutions, like the grant funding that recently helped MontanaSky install fiber optic cables in Columbia Falls. They’ve also looked at internet cooperatives like Inner Bell, which supplies internet service in Eureka.

But right now, Morisaki said Bigfork doesn’t seem to have the landscape, infrastructure or population to replicate these strategies there.

“We want better internet,” stated Bigfork Chamber Executive Director Rebekah King. But she confessed, “in the immediate future, there are no plans for Bigfork.” ■

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at bserbin@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.