Touch America, the telecommunications subsidiary of The Montana Power Co. (Butte, MT), announced it is concluding negotiations that will more than double its current fiber-optic network. The company plans to expand from the 3600 route-mi of fiber in six states that it operated at the beginning of 1997 to more than 8000 route-mi in 13 states. The latest four expansions will include a link from Seattle, WA, to Portland, OR; one from Portland to Los Angeles via Sacramento, CA; another from Boise, ID, to Spokane, WA; and another from Minneapolis, MN, to Chicago, IL.