(BIVN) – State and federal officials are celebrating the announcement of a $72 million grant that will help expand broadband services to underserved households on Hawaiian home lands. 

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands on Tuesday announced it received the grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP).

The $72 million grant – along with a $17 million grant DHHL received from NTIA earlier this year – brings a total of $89 million to expand broadband internet access to thousands of underserved households on Hawaiian home lands, DHHL says. The money will fund “new telecommunications infrastructure, workforce development programs and digital equity initiatives for DHHL lessees.”

“This new federal funding will mean communities on Hawaiian home lands will have better, more reliable high-speed internet at home, helping more people access education, health care, and employment resources online,” said Hawai‘i’s United States Senator Brian Schatz, who serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and helped secure funding for the grant.

From the DHHL news release:

The TBCP grant will help bring fast fiber optic internet connections to thousands of DHHL lessees throughout the state. The grant will fund telecommunications infrastructure on Hawaiian home lands in areas that have limited access to broadband service – and will be used to establish connections at planned housing developments.

“Access to the Internet is just the starting point for today’s award,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson. “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 was announced today at a media event in Honolulu in the offices of Hawaiʻi Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke, leader of Connect Kākou, Hawaiʻi’s high-speed internet initiative.

“For too long, many communities on Hawaiian home lands have lacked equitable access to the digital tools citizens need to participate fully in our modern economy,” said Luke. “This grant empowers people with the resources they need to succeed and will strengthen the bonds of our communities.”

Grant funds will be dispersed over a four-year period, with projects rolling out through 2028.

“The TBCP grant will enable DHHL to bring high-speed internet, digital education programs, and new community centers to our homesteads across the pae ʻāina,” said DHHL Director Kali Watson. “It’s more than just connectivity; it’s about opening doors to opportunity, through education, employment, and access to healthcare and other essential services. Mahalo to our federal partners at NTIA for supporting this vision.”

According to DHLL, the TBCP grant will also support:

• Workforce Development Programs – training and skills development to support digital jobs and career opportunities.
• Digital Equity and Education Initiatives – resources and programs aimed at increasing digital literacy and ensuring that DHHL lessees have the skills necessary to bridge the digital divide.
• Community Centers – establishing centers on Hawaiian home lands where residents can access digital education resources and public internet.