#Connect Kakou

State leaders and partners of Hawaiʻi’s high-speed internet initiative, Connect Kākou, announced that the state has received final approval to begin deploying approximately $149 million in federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding, marking one of the most significant digital infrastructure investments in state history.

Hawaiʻi will begin drawing down federal infrastructure funds to ensure universal broadband access through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, following official approval from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

With September’s Digital Aloha Month coming to a close, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke visited students across the state — from Waimea on Hawaiʻi Island to Waimea on Kauaʻi — to share the message of respect, responsibility and kindness online.

Residents on Maui will soon be able to get free, one-on-one help with technology through the new Digital Navigator program, announced this week by Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and the Hawaiʻi State Public Library System.

This month-long initiative aims to inform and inspire safe online behavior and digital well-being for students, educators, parents and communities across the islands.

Two months from now, more than 45,000 Hawai‘i residents living in public housing communities across the state will be able to access reliable, high-speed fiber internet service for their homes, thanks to a new public-private partnership between the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority and Hawaiian Telcom. This milestone is the result of a $6 million in-kind contribution to the community from Hawaiian Telcom. 

As part of the Connect Kākou Initiative, the County of Maui is inviting residents of Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi to take a brief survey on their internet access and use, devices used, community resources needed and household demographics.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has been awarded a $72 million grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, adding to a $17 million grant received earlier this year. This brings the total to $89 million to improve broadband access for thousands of underserved households on Hawaiian home lands.

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke today announced the launch of Digital Detectives, a Connect Kākou initiative to map internet speeds across Hawaiʻi. By taking a simple 30-second internet speed test, residents can help identify areas most in need of better internet infrastructure, ensuring that federal funding is allocated to where it is most needed. “We’re excited to […]

Maui County residents, nonprofits, internet service providers and others are encouraged to help update information about locations that have unserved or underserved internet connectivity in an effort to bolster high-speed internet across the state.

The University of Hawaiʻi and Ocean Networks, Inc. announced a $120 million, public-private partnership to construct a submarine optical fiber cable system that is aimed at connecting the Hawaiian Islands and improving and expanding high-speed broadband internet throughout the state.