The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) has secured a $72 million grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. This funding is aimed at expanding high-speed internet access across Hawaiian home lands and comes on the heels of an earlier $17 million grant from the NTIA earlier this year, bringing the total support to $89 million.
As confirmed in an announcement from the
Office of the Governor
yesterday, Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, played a pivotal role in securing the grants. “This new federal funding will mean communities on Hawaiian home lands will have better, more reliable high-speed internet at home, helping more people access education, health care, and employment resources online,” he told attendees during the grant announcement event in Honolulu.
The large grant will improve connectivity for thousands of DHHL lessees by funding telecommunications infrastructure, workforce development, and digital equity efforts. Alan Davidson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator, highlighted the broader impact of the grant, stating, “With this Internet for All grant, Native Hawaiians will have new high-speed Internet connections – and new opportunities through device purchases, workforce training, and digital education to make the most of those connections,” in the same
announcement
.
Hawaii’s Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke praised the grant as a solution to the ongoing digital gap in some communities. She noted that many communities on Hawaiian home lands have long lacked access to the digital tools needed to fully participate in the modern economy. The grant is expected to empower these communities across the state. The funds will be distributed over four years, with projects expected to continue until 2028.
The TBCP grant will support various programs, as outlined by Kali Watson, the DHHL Director. The funds will be used to bring high-speed internet, digital education programs, and new community centers to homesteads across the state. The grant’s impact will go beyond internet access, including workforce development for digital jobs, initiatives to improve digital literacy, and the creation of community centers offering digital education resources and public internet access.
The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) carries on the legacy of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole by managing land to create homesteading opportunities for Native Hawaiians. The NTIA, key to this grant, advises the President on telecommunications and information policy, with a focus on expanding broadband access, spectrum use, public safety communications, and promoting innovation and economic growth through the internet.
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