Kauaʻi this week became the first of the major islands in Hawaiʻi to be fully fiber-enabled. It's part of Hawaiian Telcom's plan to make Hawaiʻi the first state in the U.S. to be fully fiber-enabled by the end of 2026.
Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi were the first islands to become fiber-enabled two years ago. The addition of Kauaʻi this week now means 65% of Hawaiʻi can have broadband internet access through a fiber-optic connection.
Hawaiian Telcom's announcement about Kauaʻi this week comes six months after the company announced its $1.7 billion project to make Hawaiʻi the first fully fiber-enabled state in the nation by the end of 2026.
The high-speed internet access fiber provides is especially important for students living on Kauaʻi. That includes the 50% of Kauaʻi Community College students who take online classes.
The school’s chancellor said many of those students transfer online to one of the University of Hawaiʻi's four-year universities on Oʻahu or Hawaiʻi Island. Having that access to broadband gives them the resources they need to finish their programs. And that helps Kauaʻi’s workforce.
As Kauaʻi Mayor Derek Kawakami said, broadband is no longer a luxury — it's a necessity, especially for rural communities.
