The Department of Commerce has awarded a $72 million grant to the Department of Hawaiian Homelands to expand high-speed internet access for Native Hawaiians, KHON 2 reports.
The grant is part of the $3 billion Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program — an initiative under the Biden-Harris administration. The program is to support tribal governments in providing broadband deployment on tribal lands.
“Access to affordable, reliable Internet is not a luxury – it’s a necessity,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in a statement. “That’s why this historic investment to connect Tribal communities is so important.”
With high-speed internet access, multiple resources — such as remote education, job training and telehealth services — will be available to Native Hawaiians, so they can be involved in today’s digital economy.
The grant will specifically fund Hawaii’s internet infrastructure and adoption projects, aiming to connect unserved Native Hawaiian families to high-speed internet access, according to Hawaii News Now.
Rural homestead communities in particular, including many within State Senator Lynn DeCoite’s district, will largely benefit from the federal grant. The representative said that for areas with internet access, the connection is unreliable.
“As today, they still operate as if it was dial-up,” DeCoite told Hawaii News Now. “And the complaints have fallen on deaf ears which is why I’m really happy that this funding is there…”
Kauai Now reported that infrastructure activities include investing over $26 million in deploying fiber optic lines to Hawaiian homestead communities and another $15.5 million in building digital innovation centers for professional development and digital literacy classes.
Internet adoption projects include supplying participants of digital literacy classes with laptops. Another project is hosting professional development opportunities in-person to provide expertise and certifications in telecommunications.
The Department of Hawaiian Homelands will allocate the $72 million funding and implement projects over the next four years, according to KHON 2.
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