Hawaiian Telcom (NASDAQ:HCOM) has expanded availability of its gigabit Internet service to homes in Hawai'i Island's Puʻu Lani Ranch subdivision and the surrounding Puʻuanahulu area, using fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) technology. The company has been extending its broadband infrastructure on the big island, an effort partially supported by the FCC's Connect America Fund (CAF).
Initially launched in 2015, Hawaiian Telcom's 1 Gbps service currently passes more than 125,000 homes and 5,600 businesses statewide.
"Hawaiian Telcom is committed to increasing speeds and expanding broadband access statewide," said Scott Barber, president and CEO. "Puʻu Lani Ranch is our first 1 Gbps deployment using CAF Phase II support, and we're excited about the increased educational and economic opportunities that are now open to this community with Hawaiʻi's fastest Internet."
Last year Hawaiian Telcom was awarded approximately $26 million in CAF Phase II support to deploy a minimum of 10 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream by 2020 to more than 11,000 unserved and underserved locations.
Since 2015, with CAF Phase I support of approximately $1.4 million, Hawaiian Telcom has deployed broadband to more than 1,800 locations on Hawaiʻi Island, including Ainaloa, Aliʻi Kane, Fern Acres, Fern Forest, Glenwood, Hawaiian Acres, Kaiwiki and Miloliʻi.