Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program

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Hawaiian Telcom, Inc is proposing to build an economically and environmentally sustainable, open access middle mile infrastructure that will benefit unserved and underserved communities and improve the resiliency of existing broadband services in the state of Hawaii.

Project URGENT consists of 15 new terrestrial and undersea routes and over 600 kilometers of fiber.

The digital divide is particularly prevalent in Hawaii communities that are unserved or underserved especially on islands like Maui, Molokai, Kauai, and Hawaii island, rural Oahu communities - Waianae, Nanakuli, North Shore, and Hawaiian Home Lands, which are "tribal" lands set aside for homesteads for native Hawaiians having at least 50% Hawaiian blood. These areas are particularly vulnerable, and Hawaii is ranked amongst the worst states in the nation in terrestrial broadband coverage (54%) and amongst the slowest average download speeds.

Project URGENT also addresses climate-related risks such as coastal flooding and erosion and the impact from natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions and fires, tsunamis, and hurricanes.