Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke announced Tuesday that more than 6,000 Hawaii residents, many of them students, took part in the Digital Detectives campaign to map internet speeds across Hawaii.
The goal of the campaign was to determine what parts of the state are most in need of better internet infrastructure. Luke’s office said construction of fiber-optic internet lines in underserved areas is expected to start as early as this year.
Last October, Hawaii residents were asked to conduct a 30-second test to determine their internet speed. Students in Hawaii Department of Education and public charter middle schools across the islands took part in the program as a way to learn about digital equity.
Luke presented the top Digital Detectives Super Sleuth Awards to classes from Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School and Kona Pacific Charter School for student participation and classroom reporting. The classes also received a gift card for classroom supplies.
"Thanks to the thousands of students and their teachers who participated in Digital Detectives, we now have a clearer picture of Hawaii’s internet speeds and where improvements are most needed,” said Luke in a news release. “Reliable internet is crucial for education, future careers, and so much more.”
Officials aggregated the results from the internet speed tests to map connectivity across the state. These maps will be used to determine where to place fiber-optic internet lines.
The Digital Detectives campaign is part of the Connect Kakou initiative, which is led by Luke, in collaboration with the Hawaii Broadband and Digital Equity Office, the University of Hawaii, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and other state and county agencies. Connect Kakou is an effort to provide reliable and affordable high-speed internet to everyone in Hawaii.
