More than $100 million in federal funding is coming to the state to improve broadband infrastructure.
The U.S. Treasury announced Thursday that Hawaii will receive over $115 million through the American Rescue Plan Act to improve internet connectivity.
The funds will be administered by the University of Hawaii through its ‘Apakau ka la Initiative, a project that began in 2021 to coordinate state plans to expand internet accessibility. The majority of the funds, about $101 million, will be used to improve the underwater cable infrastructure linking each of the islands.
“The thing is, these cables are like 25 years old,” said Burt Lum, state broadband coordinator with the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism’s Broadband and Digital Equity Office. “With so long at the bottom of the ocean, their integrity might be compromised.”
Garret Yoshimi, UH vice president of information technology and chief information officer, said the state wants to avoid a situation like the one in 2019 in which internet services to Kauai were cut off when a damaged cable led to the entire island’s internet access shutting down for about a day.
“It meant no internet, no phones, no credit cards,” Yoshimi said. “It was a very strong wake-up call for us.”
Lum said the improvements to the cables will include a new interisland fiber-optic cable system, along with additional cable landing sites — where the undersea cables make landfall — throughout the state.
Ultimately, by increasing the number of landing sites, Yoshimi said the project will make it cheaper for internet service providers to do business in Hawaii, which will in turn improve connectivity options for residents.
“The money isn’t enough to build a whole new system, but it should be a significant enough portion that we’ll be able to attract private partners,” Yoshimi said.
Yoshimi estimated that the full cost of the new system — which he said would have greater capacity at a cheaper cost than the current broadband cables — is about $150 million, and would be completed over about three years.
The remaining $8 million will be spent on upgrading public housing developments with affordable high-speed internet access and providing digital literacy courses. Yoshimi said the funds will help roughly 14,000 residents across 89 state-owned developments.
During a news conference announcing the funding Thursday, Gov. Josh Green said the state has until 2026 to spend through the federal funds, which he said will ensure the necessary investments in connectivity are made as soon as possible.
Green, physician, related an anecdote highlighting the necessity of improved internet accessibility. While working in Ka‘u, he said, he had to reattach a man’s severed thumb, a procedure made more difficult because of the inability to connect to other resources and experts online.
“In a very real way, this infrastructure is helping doctors and educators improve lives,” Green said.
U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, who represents the neighbor island, added there are too many places throughout her congressional district where internet access simply doesn’t exist.
“Our rural communities are spread out across many islands in which residents must travel by plane to access essential services,” Tokuda said. “The digital divide is real in Hawaii, and we need to do everything possible to increase digital literacy.
Meanwhile, the final version of a state budget bill published Wednesday includes an additional $33 million in state funds for broadband projects for each of the next two fiscal years, which would be matched by more federal funding.
Lum added that his office’s Digital Equity Plan, which will identify barriers preventing people from taking advantage of digital resources, will have a draft completed by June, with a final draft due in November.
Public outreach and community meetings regarding the plan will be held throughout the intervening months, although no specific dates have been announced yet.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.