The Pandemic Taught Us Broadband Is Essential. But Where Is It? … A Big Island nonprofit plans to map underserved areas on the neighbor islands.
Gaps in broadband service in Hawaii are screamingly obvious to the people who have to cope with them, but proving where the problems lie is another matter. There are no publicly available, accurate maps that show what speeds and service are available in rural areas or in each neighborhood.
That wonky-sounding issue is actually a national problem that can complicate efforts to secure funding to improve and expand broadband networks in Hawaii and elsewhere, even when money is offered to pay for the upgrades.
Sean McLaughlin, a longtime community media and broadband access advocate, contends the lack of information about where broadband is offered and at what speeds “has been used, really, to prevent a solution.”
