Hawaiian Telecom (NASDAQ:HCOM) has expanded fiber broadband to 5,000 locations in rural areas in Hawai'i. Partially supported by the FCC's Connect America Fund (CAF), the expansion includes the first CAF deployment on Moloka'i.
About 70% of the deployments used fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) technology, enabling access to gigabit Internet service, which Hawaiian Telcom first launched in June 2015. Since then, Hawaiian Telcom expanded 1 Gbps availability to more than 140,000 residences and businesses on O'ahu, Kaua'i, Maui and the Big Island. In 2016 Pu'u Lani Ranch and Pu'uanahulu on Hawai'i Island were the first CAF-eligible areas enabled for broadband with FTTP technology.
"As Hawai'i's Technology Leader, Hawaiian Telcom is committed to expanding broadband access so more of our residents can experience its extensive benefits," said Scott Barber, president and CEO. "We're proud to be the only local provider actively expanding broadband within high-cost rural areas and of our ability to deploy speeds more than 100 times higher than the federal requirement."
Broadband is now available in parts of Eden Roc, Fern Acres, Fern Forest, Glenwood, Hawaiian Acres, Hakalau, Kaiwiki, Kalapana, Kalopa Mauka, Kapoho, Kurtistown, Leilani Estates, Miloli'i, Nanawale Estates, Nīnole, Ocean View Estates, Orchidland, Ouli, Pa'auilo Mauka and Waiki'i Ranch on Hawai'i Island, Huelo on Maui, and Kaluako'i on Moloka'i.
In 2015, Hawaiian Telcom was awarded approximately $26 million in CAF Phase II support to deploy a minimum of 10 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream to more than 11,000 unserved locations by 2020.