Hawaii receives $72.7 million for tribal broadband and digital training

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has granted $72.7 million to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) through the nearly $3 billion Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, to enhance high-speed Internet access and adoption among Native Hawaiian households.

“Access to the Internet is just the starting point for today’s award,” Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson said. “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.”

The grant to DHHL is the first allocation from the program’s second round of funding, which provides nearly $1 billion for projects such as internet infrastructure deployment on tribal lands, affordability programs, telehealth and distance-learning initiatives.

Infrastructure initiatives include:

$26.1 million to install middle-mile fiber optic lines serving homestead communities.

$15.5 million to establish community digital innovation centers for workforce development.

Overseeing wireless telecommunications towers across the Hawaiian Islands to maintain connectivity for households already served.

Adoption and usage efforts focus on:

Providing digital literacy training for Native Hawaiians and distributing computers to participants.

Delivering hands-on workforce development opportunities, including certifications and expertise in the telecommunications field.

Establishing new Outreach Coordinator roles within the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is funded through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 ($980 million) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law ($2 billion). Additional grant announcements will be made on a rolling basis. So far, projects supported by this program have been completed or are under way in 27 tribal communities, providing free or affordable high-speed internet access to more than 4,600 households.

Photo by Durgesh Kumar