Hawaii’s proposal to solve the state’s internet issues with $149.5M in federal funding has been approved. It is now hoped that the 11,924 homes in Hawaii who currently lack adequate broadband connection will soon receive high-speed internet.

This means that all Hawaiian citizens will soon be able to rely on the internet for health and safety, ecommerce, and entertainment. Currently, many areas of Hawaii are unable to place online shopping orders or mark themselves as ‘safe’ during natural disasters.

Plus, many Hawaiians are unable to access online entertainment, such as real money online casino games. As Graziella Calleja points out, Hawaii is one of the states that doesn’t have its own online casinos. However, with better internet, all Hawaiians will soon be able to access offshore alternatives.

Last year, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke organized the state’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) proposal. Luke asked for members of the public to identify the areas of Hawaii that suffer from the worst broadband connection. Once this information was collected, the proposal was submitted in December 2023.

BEAD funds come from government’s Inernet for All initiative, which has set aside a total of $45 billion to boost internet connection and broadband infrastructure throughout the US.

Now, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration has approved Hawaii’s BEAD proposal, meaning the state can now create a stronger internet structure throughout Hawaii’s remote areas. This includes a total of 1,539 homes and businesses in Maui. The government now aims to make reliable internet readily available in all homes across the state.

The need for better internet is primarily a safety concern. The Covid 19 pandemic and last year’s wildfires highlighted the importance of communication via the internet. The internet allows for remote Hawaii residents to check themselves in as safe and communicate with loved ones during wildfires. However, this becomes an impossibility when the internet is bad.

The fact that 0.5% of the state’s land area burns every year increases the need for better internet connection.

Good internet connection is also vital when it comes to entertainment and business. Ecommerce businesses throughout Hawaii rely on the internet to manage orders and communicate with customers. Hawaiian customers also need a strong internet connection to browse and place orders. Better connection means that Hawaii can grow its online ecommerce industry.

Additionally, without internet, Hawaiians cannot stream or play online games, such as crypto gambling sites.

In June, the National Broadband Availability Map identified a total of 11,924 homes and businesses in Hawaii who either don’t have internet at all or have a poorly performing internet connection. This new information revealed that 1,539 of these homes were located in Maui. This made Maui the location with the second most amount of homes that are currently plagued by poor internet.

Hawaii County had the highest amount of homes and businesses with poor internet access, with a total of 8,265 homes affected. Kaua’i was third with a total of 699 locations.