SB 2527 Summary

• Establishes the broadband infrastructure grant program within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to award grants for deploying wireline broadband infrastructure to unserved and underserved areas of Hawaii.

• Requires applicants to commit minimum 30% matching funds from their own resources and demonstrate prior experience providing broadband service or communication services to residential customers.

• Defines unserved areas as lacking broadband access and underserved areas as having speeds less than double the minimum broadband requirements; explicitly excludes wireless network infrastructure and 5G technology from program scope.

• Establishes application review process with 60-90 day submission windows, public posting of applications, and 45-day challenge period for competing broadband providers to dispute project area eligibility.

• Prioritizes grant awards using scoring criteria including project geographic size, funding efficiency, applicant matching funds, preference for unserved over underserved areas, and service speed capabilities.