Montana / AIANNHCE 1150 / Federally-recognized area
Fort Belknap
The full tribal profile includes the report map, demographic tables, broadband tables, FCC provider sections, and interactive charts.
99.8%25/3 availability
97.2%100/20 availability
0.0%1000/100 availability
7Fixed providers
Figure 1. Location of Fort Belknap within Montana, with boundary detail (inset).
About the Tribal Area
In Montana, this federally recognized tribe uses Fort Belknap Reservation as its main reservation, and it spans about 969 square miles of land plus roughly 3.7 square miles of water. FCC BDC records show 7 fixed providers and 3 mobile providers serving roughly 2,022 service locations, with current availability of 99.8% at 25/3 Mbps, and 97.2% at 100/20.
Tribal Area Description
A federally recognized tribe in Montana, Fort Belknap is organized around tribal lands. The land base is relevant for broadband planning due to rural service coverage and middle-mile access constraints.
Fort Belknap Indian Reservation is homeland to the Assiniboine (Nakoda) and Gros Ventre (Aaniiih) Tribes. Fort Belknap Indian Community Council consists of the President and the Vice President, who are elected to serve a four year term. Fort Belknap has a tribal membership of 7,000 enrolled members. Fort Belknap Indian Reservation is located forty miles south of the Canadian border and twenty miles north of the Missouri River, which is the route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Fort Belknap Indian Reservation is the forth largest Indian reservation in Montana. The Fort Belknap Indian Community’s water settlement bill will bring infrastructure investment, economic benefits and certainty for water users. The Fort Belknap Indian Reservation encompasses an area consisting of 675,147 acres, which extends approximately 28 miles east and west and 35 miles north and south.
Table 1. Demographics
Indicator
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Population
3,204
3,302
3,627
3,377
3,389
3,148
Households
887
879
804
816
852
851
Median age
26.5
26.7
26.8
27.7
29.0
30.7
Male / Female
48.8% / 51.2%
47.4% / 52.6%
48.3% / 51.7%
49.9% / 50.1%
49.9% / 50.1%
50.2% / 49.8%
Avg. household size
3.57
3.72
4.48
4.10
3.94
3.67
Pop. density (per sq mi)
3.3
3.4
3.7
3.5
3.5
3.3
HH density (per sq mi)
0.9
0.9
0.8
0.8
0.9
0.9
Table 2. Economic & Education
Indicator
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Median household income
$34,886
$41,042
$42,222
$46,250
$50,833
$50,288
Per capita income
$13,642
$13,325
$13,118
$15,966
$20,068
$22,721
Poverty rate
43.4%
39.5%
38.0%
29.8%
30.2%
26.6%
Unemployment rate
33.2%
28.0%
30.0%
29.6%
33.7%
27.8%
HS diploma or higher
54.5%
59.3%
61.2%
61.1%
64.1%
59.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher
14.6%
15.6%
15.1%
14.2%
12.3%
12.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates. Queried by AIANNHCE code. Population and household density are calculated from Census population or households divided by land area in square miles.
Table 3. Download/Upload Speeds (Mbps)
Period
Download
Upload
2019Q1
24.1 Mbps
12.6 Mbps
2019Q2
51.6 Mbps
22.2 Mbps
2019Q3
33.0 Mbps
14.4 Mbps
2019Q4
30.4 Mbps
14.4 Mbps
2020Q1
21.9 Mbps
9.8 Mbps
2020Q2
22.5 Mbps
5.7 Mbps
2020Q3
22.2 Mbps
5.6 Mbps
2020Q4
28.8 Mbps
13.1 Mbps
2021Q1
27.8 Mbps
10.6 Mbps
2021Q2
23.1 Mbps
4.6 Mbps
2021Q3
42.7 Mbps
21.1 Mbps
2021Q4
27.5 Mbps
8.8 Mbps
2022Q1
31.8 Mbps
10.2 Mbps
2022Q2
49.6 Mbps
17.1 Mbps
2022Q3
48.4 Mbps
27.2 Mbps
2022Q4
33.9 Mbps
6.6 Mbps
2023Q1
46.9 Mbps
33.4 Mbps
2023Q2
47.9 Mbps
19.8 Mbps
2023Q3
81.8 Mbps
59.6 Mbps
2023Q4
77.7 Mbps
47.9 Mbps
2024Q1
5.9 Mbps
2.2 Mbps
2024Q2
64.8 Mbps
30.1 Mbps
2024Q3
84.9 Mbps
70.6 Mbps
Table 4. Coverage by Tier (%)
Year
25/3
100/20
1 Gbps
2015
94.5%
91.4%
0.0%
2016
93.1%
91.4%
0.0%
2017
93.1%
91.4%
0.0%
2018
93.1%
91.4%
0.0%
2019
93.1%
91.4%
0.0%
2020
93.1%
91.6%
0.0%
2021
95.6%
51.9%
4.0%
2022
83.8%
58.7%
0.0%
2023
85.7%
54.7%
0.0%
2024
99.8%
97.2%
0.0%
Table 5. Adoption (%)
Year
All households
Low-income households
2017
43.2%
26.7%
2018
47.0%
36.2%
2019
50.5%
38.9%
2020
61.2%
42.9%
2021
64.4%
49.0%
2022
66.1%
43.2%
2023
67.6%
51.5%
2024
67.6%
52.0%
Table 6. Current Status (2024, %)
Tier
Coverage
25/3 Mbps
99.8%
100/20 Mbps
97.2%
1 Gbps
0.0%
Table 7. Comparison with National Averages (%)
Metric
Tribal
National
25/3 Mbps
99.8%
92%
100/20 Mbps
97.2%
85%
Adoption
67.6%
78%
Sources: FCC Broadband Data Collection, Ookla Open Data Initiative, and U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates. National benchmarks are carried over from the report comparison section.
Figure 2. Speed Trends (2019–2024)
Figure 3. Availability (2015–2025)
Figure 4. Adoption (2017–2024)
Figure 5. Current Status (2024)
Figure 6. Comparison with National Averages
Figure 7. Fixed Coverage by Technology (25/3 Mbps)
Figure 8. Mobile Area Coverage
Notes: speed trends reflect quarterly mean throughput. Availability shows the share of population with access. Tooltips on the charts expose the underlying values for each series.
Table 8. Broadband Provider Summary
Metric
Value
Fixed broadband providers
7
Mobile broadband providers
3
Broadband serviceable locations
2,022
Table 9. Broadband Providers
Fixed
Mobile
Charter Communications
AT&T Inc.
T-Mobile USA, Inc.
T-Mobile USA, Inc.
EchoStar Corporation
Verizon Communications Inc.
Triangle Telephone Cooperative Assn., Inc.
—
Verizon Communications Inc.
—
Viasat, Inc.
—
Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
—
Table 10. Fixed Coverage by Technology (% of locations)
Technology
25/3
100/20
250/25
1 Gbps
Any Technology
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
0.8%
Fiber
98.2%
98.2%
0.8%
0.8%
Cable
0.3%
0.3%
0.3%
0.0%
Fixed Wireless
44.5%
30.6%
0.0%
0.0%
Copper (DSL)
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
Satellite
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
0.0%
Table 11. Mobile Coverage (% of area)
Technology
Coverage
4G LTE
77.0%
5G-NR (Speed Tier 1)
26.1%
5G-NR (Speed Tier 2)
0.0%
Total area (sq mi)
121.132
Table 8. Coverage by Tier and Technology (% of locations)
Dec. 2022
Technology
2/2
10/1
25/3
100/20
250/25
1000/100
All Fixed Wireless
97.9
82.7
8.0
7.3
0.0
0.0
All Satellite
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.0
0.0
All Wired
93.1
89.4
85.4
50.7
50.7
0.0
All Wired and Licensed Fixed Wireless
98.6
93.6
86.8
58.0
50.7
0.0
Any Technology
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
50.7
0.0
Any Terrestrial
98.6
93.6
86.8
58.0
50.7
0.0
Cable
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Cable/Fiber
50.7
50.7
50.7
50.7
50.7
0.0
Copper
42.4
38.7
34.6
0.0
0.0
0.0
Fiber
50.7
50.7
50.7
50.7
50.7
0.0
GSO Satellite
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Licensed Fixed Wireless
97.9
82.7
8.0
7.3
0.0
0.0
NGSO Satellite
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.0
0.0
Other
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Unlicensed Fixed Wireless
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
June 2023
Technology
2/2
10/1
25/3
100/20
250/25
1000/100
All Fixed Wireless
97.2
83.6
25.4
0.4
0.0
0.0
All Satellite
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.0
0.0
All Wired
94.2
90.5
87.3
51.4
51.4
0.0
All Wired and Licensed Fixed Wireless
98.8
93.9
89.3
51.8
51.4
0.0
Any Technology
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
51.4
0.0
Any Terrestrial
98.8
93.9
89.3
51.8
51.4
0.0
Cable
1.9
1.9
1.9
1.9
1.9
0.0
Cable/Fiber
51.4
51.4
51.4
51.4
51.4
0.0
Copper
42.8
39.1
35.9
0.0
0.0
0.0
Fiber
51.4
51.4
51.4
51.4
51.4
0.0
GSO Satellite
100.0
100.0
99.9
0.0
0.0
0.0
Licensed Fixed Wireless
97.2
83.6
25.4
0.4
0.0
0.0
NGSO Satellite
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.0
0.0
Other
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Unlicensed Fixed Wireless
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Dec. 2023
Technology
2/2
10/1
25/3
100/20
250/25
1000/100
All Fixed Wireless
96.5
83.3
20.3
2.3
0.0
0.0
All Satellite
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.0
0.0
All Wired
94.7
91.4
88.6
56.0
56.0
0.0
All Wired and Licensed Fixed Wireless
98.8
94.3
89.6
58.2
56.0
0.0
Any Technology
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
56.0
0.0
Any Terrestrial
98.8
94.3
89.6
58.2
56.0
0.0
Cable
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.0
Cable/Fiber
56.0
56.0
56.0
56.0
56.0
0.0
Copper
38.6
35.3
32.6
0.0
0.0
0.0
Fiber
56.0
56.0
56.0
56.0
56.0
0.0
GSO Satellite
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Licensed Fixed Wireless
96.5
83.3
20.3
2.3
0.0
0.0
NGSO Satellite
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.0
0.0
Other
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Unlicensed Fixed Wireless
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
June 2024
Technology
2/2
10/1
25/3
100/20
250/25
1000/100
All Fixed Wireless
97.8
87.3
35.7
12.5
0.0
0.0
All Satellite
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.0
0.0
All Wired
94.1
92.6
89.9
63.4
0.3
0.0
All Wired and Licensed Fixed Wireless
99.2
95.6
92.3
67.0
0.3
0.0
Any Technology
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.3
0.0
Any Terrestrial
99.2
95.6
92.3
67.0
0.3
0.0
Cable
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.0
Cable/Fiber
63.4
63.4
63.4
63.4
0.3
0.0
Copper
30.7
29.3
26.5
0.0
0.0
0.0
Fiber
63.4
63.4
63.4
63.4
0.0
0.0
GSO Satellite
74.4
74.4
71.8
0.0
0.0
0.0
Licensed Fixed Wireless
97.8
87.3
35.7
12.5
0.0
0.0
NGSO Satellite
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.0
0.0
Other
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Unlicensed Fixed Wireless
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Dec. 2024
Technology
2/2
10/1
25/3
100/20
250/25
1000/100
All Fixed Wireless
97.6
87.7
45.3
32.4
0.0
0.0
All Satellite
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.0
0.0
All Wired
98.2
98.2
98.2
98.2
0.3
0.0
All Wired and Licensed Fixed Wireless
99.6
99.0
98.3
98.3
0.3
0.0
Any Technology
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.3
0.0
Any Terrestrial
99.6
99.0
98.3
98.3
0.3
0.0
Cable
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.0
Cable/Fiber
98.2
98.2
98.2
98.2
0.3
0.0
Copper
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Fiber
98.2
98.2
98.2
98.2
0.0
0.0
GSO Satellite
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Licensed Fixed Wireless
97.6
87.7
45.3
32.4
0.0
0.0
NGSO Satellite
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.0
0.0
Other
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Unlicensed Fixed Wireless
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
June 2025
Technology
2/2
10/1
25/3
100/20
250/25
1000/100
All Fixed Wireless
97.6
89.8
44.5
30.6
0.0
0.0
All Satellite
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.0
All Wired
98.2
98.2
98.2
98.2
1.1
0.8
All Wired and Licensed Fixed Wireless
99.6
99.0
98.3
98.3
1.1
0.8
Any Technology
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.8
Any Terrestrial
99.6
99.0
98.3
98.3
1.1
0.8
Cable
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.0
Cable/Fiber
98.2
98.2
98.2
98.2
1.1
0.8
Copper
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Fiber
98.2
98.2
98.2
98.2
0.8
0.8
GSO Satellite
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Licensed Fixed Wireless
97.6
89.8
44.5
30.6
0.0
0.0
NGSO Satellite
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
0.0
Other
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Unlicensed Fixed Wireless
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
FCC Broadband Data Collection (BDC), June 2025 filing vintage. Coverage values show the share of residential broadband serviceable locations by technology and speed tier across D22, J23, D23, J24, D24, and J25 filings.
Source: FCC Broadband Data Collection (BDC), June 2025 Filing (J25). Fixed coverage shows the share of residential broadband serviceable locations, and mobile coverage shows the share of tribal land area.