Hawaii receives $149 million in federal funds to improve Internet services

Hawaii has been officially awarded $149 million to help improve access to high-speed Internet service, officials said Tuesday.

The money, which was earmarked for the state last year, comes through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. BEAD is part of the federal government’s “Internet for All” initiative to connect people in America with affordable and reliable high-speed Internet service.

“This is a historic moment,” Alan Davidson, the assistant secretary of commerce, said at Tuesday’s news conference. “This is our chance to make sure we connect everyone in the state and everyone in the country with the tools they need to succeed in today’s digital economy.”

Gov. Sylvia Luke, who has led Hawaii’s efforts to improve its broadband capabilities, noted that connectivity is critical right now. She pointed to the pandemic and the recent wildfires across Hawaii, stressing the need for reliable Internet service to get information and stay connected.

“Communication is not something that can be done without connectivity — connectivity to the Internet, connectivity to your phones, connectivity to what’s happening around our neighborhoods,” she said.

Funds from the BEAD program are critical to establishing this connection throughout the Hawaiian Islands, Luke said. She explained that the islands are largely dependent on aging infrastructure and undersea cables, but with nearly $150 million in funding, Hawaii will have the capital to change that.

Much of the money will go toward building new infrastructure, said Garret Yoshimi, chief information officer at the University of Hawaii, who played a major role in drafting the state BEAD proposal.

Yoshimi hopes construction will begin later next year or early 2026, though the state must first go through a competitive procurement process to hire companies for the work.

Any funds left over after construction will be used for support purposes, such as purchasing equipment or providing training, but Davidson said the program’s top priority is paying for the deployment.

“This is a placement program, first and foremost,” he said. “Once the plan and providers are in place to serve the underserved homes, then there is an opportunity to use the funds for other purposes.”