Hawaiʻi has received nearly $150 million to improve and expand internet connection through its Connect Kākou initiative, which aims to provide access to high-speed internet in all corners of the state.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration recently awarded grants to 18 states for its federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.
Project leaders say they will use the money to support roughly 7,100 locations across the islands that “cannot connect to the Internet at home or are relying on outdated technology to get it,” as stated in Hawaiʻi’s BEAD proposal.
Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke leads the Connect Kākou project and announced the grant at the Pacific Telecommunications Council conference this month.
“A lot of times people think somehow the internet ends up on your laptop or your phone, but you can see there's a lot of infrastructure that goes in,” Luke said.
“The islands have to be connected, and that's where Ocean Networks come in, and after that happens, it's Hawaiian Telecom and Amazon laying lines into the community and providing services. So what you see is a true collective effort to bridge voids.”
Last year, Hawaiian Telecom announced a partnership with state and federal partners that will invest $1.7 billion to make Hawaiʻi the first fully fiber-enabled state.
With the new federal grant, project leaders want about 80% of the households to be connected through Hawaiian Tel and the rest served through satellite technology.
