Touch America, the telecommunications subsidiary of The Montana Power Co. (Butte, MT), announced it

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.