The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has awarded Hawaiian Telcom a $37 million grant to expand broadband infrastructure in the state.

What You Need To Know

  • The funding comes via the Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program, which focuses on construction, improvement or acquisition of so-called “middle-mile” infrastructure, which reduces the cost of connecting areas that are unserved or underserved to the internet

  • The grant was part of more than $930 million in awards distributed to expand middle-mile, high-speed internet infrastructure across 35 states and Puerto Rico

  • Participating projects will install more than 12,000 miles of new fiber that will pass within 1,000 feet of nearly 7,000 community anchor institutions across 350 counties

  • Awardees will invest an additional $848 million in outside match funding

The funding comes via the Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program, which focuses on construction, improvement or acquisition of so-called “middle-mile” infrastructure, which reduces the cost of connecting areas that are unserved or underserved to the internet. The program was created and funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“Everyone in Hawaii should have access to high-speed internet,” said U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “This new funding will give us the resources we need to remain connected to each other and the world by expanding broadband infrastructure between islands and across the state and help make sure more families and small businesses can get affordable, dependable high-speed internet service.”

The grant was part of more than $930 million in awards distributed to expand middle-mile, high-speed internet infrastructure across 35 states and Puerto Rico.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said the investment furthers Pres. Joe Biden’s goal of closing the digital divide.

“Much like how the interstate highway system connected every community in America to regional and national systems of highways, this program will help us connect communities across the country to regional and national networks that provide quality, affordable high-speed Internet access,” she said in a statement released last week.

Middle-mile infrastructure does not connect directly to users. Rather, it connects and enhances capacity between local networks.

“The Middle Mile program is a force multiplier in our efforts to connect everyone in America,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communication and Information Alan Davidson. “Middle Mile infrastructure brings capacity to our local networks and lowers the cost for deploying future local networks. These grants will help build the foundation of networks that will in turn connect every home in the country to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service.”

Participating projects will install more than 12,000 miles of new fiber that will pass within 1,000 feet of nearly 7,000 community anchor institutions across 350 counties.

The projects will use “future-proof” fiber as the primary technology. Awardees will invest an additional $848 million in outside match funding.

Hawaiian Telcom’s award is greater than the average award amount of $26.6. Overall, grants spanned from $2.7 million to $88.8 million.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.