S.B. NO. 917 - Broadband Service Infrastructure

• Establishes the broadband infrastructure grant program to award grants for deployment of wireline broadband infrastructure to unserved areas of Hawaii, with applicants required to contribute a minimum of 40% of total project costs.

• Eligible applicants must be non-governmental entities with demonstrated experience providing broadband service or communication services to residential customers within the State.

• Requires the department of business, economic development, and tourism to adopt rules within 12 months and establish an annual application period of 60-90 days; applications are reviewed using a public scoring system prioritizing geographic coverage, applicant experience, matching funds, service speeds, and infrastructure scalability.

• Amends the Hawaii technology loan revolving fund to the Hawaii broadband infrastructure fund, expanding eligible funding sources to include federal funds, county funds, and private sector funds, with a maximum fund balance of $10,000,000 per fiscal year.

• Authorizes issuance of $5,000,000 in general obligation bonds for fiscal year 2021-2022 to fund the broadband infrastructure grant program; effective July 1, 2021.