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Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s administration wants to accelerate Hawaii’s Internet connection speeds by 200 times over the next seven years.
The director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, Richard Lim, said Tuesday broadband connections will be the catalyst to transform Hawaii’s economy.
The state’s goal is to have connection speeds of 1 gigabit per second by 2018.
A Communications Workers of America report last year ranked Hawaii 31st in the nation in Internet speeds. More than 50 percent of Hawaii residents live in areas with slow connections.
Rep. Kyle Yamashita says private companies have not wanted to invest in broadband infrastructure in Hawaii because the permitting and regulatory processes are so cumbersome.
He says the administration is showing it wants to clear the path for investment.