Hawaiʻi residents with internet access problems can now tap into millions of dollars in federal funding — and a nonprofit has created a tool to help take advantage of these funds.
The ʻAuamo Collaborative recently launched a website at testmyspeedhawaii.com to help residents identify internet connectivity gaps in communities across the islands.
The website includes a survey on current internet usage patterns, perceived barriers to access, and satisfaction levels with existing broadband services.
Kaleo Bennett, head of the ʻAuamo Collaborative, said the group initially launched its internet mapping efforts during the pandemic when residents realized the real impact of poor internet access.
"Our initial program, we wanted to send people door to door to do these measurements. And kinda, you know, more of a proof of concept kinda to see what kind of data we have," Bennett said.
"We got excellent data. But now we're trying to up the ante because Hawaiʻi is now the recipient of $150 million in federal funding. In order to access this funding, which is meant to go to improve access in served or underserved areas, as far as broadband goes, you need to file a challenge."
Hawaiʻi received $150 million from the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program to improve internet access in unserved and underserved communities.
The data collected from the survey will allow government entities and non-profits, like the ʻAuamo Collaborative, to help residents file a challenge to expand broadband access in their community.
To learn more about the survey, click here.
