Sandwich Isles Communication founder Albert Hee said Monday that despite the company’s lack of resources, services have continued for about 1,500 customers on Hawaiian home lands because of Gov. Josh Green’s emergency proclamation Friday evening to prevent the loss of telecommunications services.
“We were about to (cease services), and then the governor issued an emergency proclamation,” Hee told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Hee said SIC found out about the proclamation through the media, as it was not sent to the company directly.
Green’s proclamation mandates that all state agencies and officers offer their services, materials and facilities for an emergency response. It also instructs public utilities and entities providing telecommunications services on Hawaiian home lands to protect their infrastructure and property and maintain their systems to avoid service interruptions.
Anyone found violating the order by damaging critical telecommunications and broadband infrastructure will face misdemeanor charges. Upon conviction, violators may be fined up to $2,000 and/or imprisoned for up to one year.
“We kept the service on but we don’t have any money, so the service won’t go on much longer,” Hee said.
The emergency relief period began Friday evening and will continue until June 30, unless ended or replaced by a separate proclamation.
Hee said the company “won’t even make it till the end of the week.”
“This is a result of the United States accepting Hawaiian Telcom’s bid — buy all of SIC’s assets and not use them to serve SIC’s customers,” Hee said. “We had a conversation (for the first time) last week with DOJ (the U.S. Department of Justice) and Hawaiian Telcom to confirm that they just want to buy the asset and not serve the SIC customers.”
But Hawaiian Telcom spokesperson Ann Nishida Fry said Tuesday that the company did not bid for all Sandwich Isles’s assets. She said Hawaiian Tel only bid for the conduit — a tube that provides wiring and alone does not provide connectivity. Provided that there’s infrastructure and Hawaiian Telcom has access to serve Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiaries, she said, the company will begin serving them.
Hee sent a letter Saturday to state Public Utilities Commission Chairman Leodoloff Asuncion Jr. saying that the commission violated SIC’s license by “allowing Hawaiian Telcom to use the HHL granted to SIC to serve everyone except HHL (through) the issuance of a temporary Right-Of-Entry and encouraging other carriers to provide service to SIC customers.”
Hisletter also said the May 20 auction required the winning bidder — Hawaiian Telcom — to provide continuity of service to SIC’s customers but that while Hawaiian Telcom won the bid for SIC’s conduits, the company will not provide service to existing SIC customers.
Nishida Fry countered that Hawaiian Telcom’s “goal is to provide service — that’s why we exist. But we did not bid for all SIC’s assets in the federal auction and SIC’s obligation to serve their customers did not change.”
In a Hawaiian Telcom email to the DOJ and the U.S. Marshall of the District of Hawaii dated May 13, the company agreed to pay a cash amount of $500,000 as the base purchase price for the acquired assets. Hawaiian Telcom also said the company is prepared to pay an extra $500,000 as an enhancement to the base purchase price if certain conditions are met.
Hee said he has written to PUC and DHHL Chairman Kali Watson offering SIC’s assistance on a transition plan but hasn’t received a response.
The PUC has no further comment beyond a scheduled June 17 show-cause hearing requiring SIC to explain why it should not be held in violation for failing to comply with rules relating to its provision of regulated service.
Following SIC’s announcement last week that it planned to cease services beginning Saturday, the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands issued a statement Monday to provide Wi-Fi hot spots for those experiencing loss of service.
Only current SIC broadband customers who have been without service since April are eligible to receive a hot spot. Each eligible customer will be provided one hot spot per lessee, which includes one month of unlimited Wi-Fi prepaid by DHHL.
DHHL released a statement Monday distributing AT&T Wi-Fi hot spots to eligible Puukapu pastoral lessees this week to ensure reliable broadband service for those in the area.
“Reliable access to phone and internet service is a critical lifeline for our Pu‘ukapu lessees,” DHHL Broadband Coordinator Jaren Tengan said in a statement. “Our goal is to provide SIC customers with an interim solution as they transition to an alternate provider.”
Hot-spot distribution will take place at the DHHL Waimea District Office at 64-756 Mamalahoa Highway. Distribution dates and times include today from 4 to 8 p.m., Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Spectrum on Friday also launched Spectrum Voice to service homes and small businesses on the Hawaiian home lands, offering “Spectrum Internet with speeds up to 1 Gig, Spectrum Mobile, and Spectrum TV to thousands on the Hawaiian Home Lands.”
“Spectrum has launched Spectrum Voice to keep customers on the Hawaiian Home Lands connected,” Spectrum Senior Vice President Gregg Fujimoto said in a statement. “Today, customers can receive Spectrum’s high-value broadband, mobile, TV and voice delivering superior connectivity at highly competitive prices, backed by a team of skilled Hawai‘i-based technicians.
This story has been updated from the print edition version to include Hawaiian Telcom spokesperson Ann Nishida Fry’s response to Albert Hee’s assertions.
