Hawaiian Telcom has announced an $87 million fiber broadband project to expand middle-mile infrastructure throughout the state. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration awarded Hawaiian Telcom a $37 million grant, and the company will provide $50 million in matching funds and in-kind contributions. In addition to this middle- mile project, Hawaiian Telcom has already invested more than a billion dollars since 2011 — $500 million in just the past five years — to expand and support fiber broadband access in Hawaii.

This NTIA grant is part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America program and the Internet for All Initiative. More than 260 grant applications were submitted in late 2022, and more than 30 grant recipients were awarded $930 million for the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program. Hawaiian Telcom was the only Hawaii recipient of the grant, which invests in building regional networks that connect to national internet networks.

Middle-mile infrastructure carries large amounts of data over long distances, increases capacity to local networks, boosts network resilience and helps connect unserved regions to the internet backbone. Hawaiian Telcomʻs $87 million project will build 15 new middle-mile fiber routes, over land and undersea, to better connect the islands.

“This project … will expand broadband access across the islands, unlocking limitless potential for innovation, education, telehealth, collaboration and so much more,” Hawaiian Telcom President and General Manager Su Shin said.