Federal Broadband Deployment Resources

Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the federal agency responsible for monitoring, implementing, and enforcing the nation’s communications law and regulations. The FCC also promotes competition and investment in broadband services and facilities, including administration of the Universal Service Fund, a system of telecommunications subsidies and fees intended to promote universal access to telecommunications services nationwide.

Connect America Fund

The FCC’s Connect America Fund (CAF), a program of the Universal Service Fund, provides funding to expand access to broadband services in high-cost areas. Under Phase II of the CAF program, Hawaiian Telcom received approximately $26 million to service 11,081 locations with a minimum of 10 megabits per second download and 1 megabit per second upload (10/1 Mbps). These locations were primarily on Hawaii Island with a deployment schedule of 2015 to 2020.

You may access the map above at: https://data.usac.org/publicreports/caf-map/ to view more information on eligible areas and locations deployed.

Connect America Fund Auction

The FCC awarded approximately $18.2 million to Hawaiian Telcom to deploy connections to over 3,900 locations in rural Hawaii over the next 10 years. Minimum speeds will be 1 gigabit per second download and 500 megabits per second upload (1Gbps/500Mbps). Below is a listing of CAF Phase II Auction funding and location commitments by county:

County # of Locations Support Obligation
Hawaii 2,117 $10,228,092.50
Honolulu 369 $1,117,553.30
Kauai 672 $2,154,264.70
Maui 778 $4,660,728.30
Statewide 3936 $18,160,637.80

FCC Press Release (PDF)

You may access the map above at: https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research/maps/caf-ii-auction-results-april-2019/ and click on the award area to identify the census block and number of locations to be served.

FCC Deployment Data Resources

The FCC collects and publishes data and reports on broadband availability across the nation based upon deployment data reported by facilities-based providers of broadband service on its Form 477.

Two FCC resources that rely primarily upon the Form 477 deployment data are the FCC’s (1) annual broadband deployment reports; and (2) broadband deployment maps. The broadband deployment reports and maps include availability data for Hawaii, as noted or linked to below.

Note: The Form 477 data is reported at the census block level, not the household level, and a whole census block is classified as served if the Form 477 data indicates that service is being provided anywhere in the block. Thus, the Form 477 data may overstate the deployment of services. The Form 477 data may also overstate or understate the deployment of services to the extent that broadband providers fail to report data or misreport data.

FCC Broadband Progress Reports

Fourteenth Broadband Deployment Report
The Fourteenth Broadband Deployment Report (released January 19, 2021) may be accessed here.
For fixed services (DSL, cable, fiber and satellite), the FCC’s current speed benchmark for “advanced telecommunications capability” is 25 Megabits per second (Mbps) download and 3 Mbps upload (25 Mbps/3 Mbps).
Highlights of information on Hawaii broadband deployment in the 2020 Broadband Deployment Report, using data as of December 31, 2019:

  • 97.9% of Hawaii’s population has access to fixed broadband
    • 99.3% access in urban areas
    • 84.7% access in rural areas
  • 99.9% of Hawaii’s population has access to Mobile LTE with a minimum advertised speed of at 5Mbps/1Mbps speeds
    • 99.9% access in urban areas
    • 99.4% access in rural areas

    International Broadband Data Report (Sixth)
    The full International Broadband Data Report (Sixth) may be accessed here.
    The FCC’s International Bureau’s sixth International Broadband Data Report provides comparative international information on broadband services and, where possible, a year-to-year measure of the extent of broadband service capability in the United States and select communities and countries abroad.
    Highlights of information on Hawaii broadband deployment in the International Broadband Data Report (Sixth), using data as of year-end 2016:

    • For 2016, Hawaii is ranked 7th of 77 U.S. States & Countries for Mean (Weighted) Fixed Download Speeds
      • 2015 Ranking: 13
      • 2014 Ranking: 61
    • For 2016, Hawaii is ranked 55th of 77 U.S. States & Countries for Mean (Weighted) Mobile Download Speeds
      • 2015 Ranking: 48
      • 2014 Ranking: 63

    Eighth Measuring Broadband America Fixed Broadband Report
    The full Report may be accessed here.
    This Report provides a snapshot of fixed broadband access service performance across the U.S. using data collected in September 2017 as part of the FCC’s Measuring Broadband America program. The program is an ongoing nationwide study of consumer broadband performance, measuring network performance delivered on selected service tiers to a representative sample of the population. Click here to participate. The Report includes data on Charter’s nationwide service and on Hawaiian Telcom DSL service.

FCC Broadband Coverage Maps

Fixed Broadband Deployment Map –The FCC publishes maps to help the public visualize fixed-broadband deployment data, including this map which allows users to to filter and display deployment data based on a variety of technologies (ADSL, cable modem, FTTP, fixed wireless, satellite and other) and broadband speeds (at least 200 kbps, 10 Mbps downstream / 1 Mbps upstream, 25 Mbps downstream / 3 Mbps upstream, etc.). For more information on how to use this map, please see the Fixed Broadband Deployment Map’s “About” page.


You may also enter an address and see service availability, a list of providers who report service availability for that location with the type of service offered and the maximum speeds offered, and demographic information.

Other FCC Maps – The FCC also publishes other broadband coverage maps, including maps showing residential fixed internet subscribership and nationwide mobile wireless coverage data.

National Telecommunications and
Information Administration

Below are resources of BroadbandUSA, a program of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), whose focus includes expanding Internet access and adoption and ensuring that the internet remains an engine for continued innovation and economic growth.

Funding

Access a complete guide of federal funding programs or search funding opportunities by agency, program purpose, or eligible recipients at: https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/new-fund-search.

Publications

Access toolkits and guides to assist communities’ and stakeholders’ efforts to expand broadband access and use and to promote digital literacy and inclusion at:
https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/ntia-resources/publications.

Webinar Archive

BroadbandUSA presents Practical Broadband Conversations webinars on topics of interest to policymakers, decision-makers, practitioners, and consumers. Access an archive of these webinars at: https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/ntia-resources/webinars-archives.

(Access information on and register for upcoming webinars at: https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/event).

News

BroadbandUSA issues a monthly newsletter with broadband news and updates, including funding opportunities, which may be accessed at:
https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/news.