Hawaii Senate Passes Broadband Funding Bill

The Hawaii Senate passed a broadband bill in a nearly unanimous vote Tuesday. SB-1317 would appropriate an unspecified amount of state funding for matching requirements in federal broadband programs. It will go to the House. Also that day, the Senate Ways and Means Committee voted 13-0 for HB-963 to appropriate at least $33 million in state matching funds for the federal broadband, equity, access and deployment program in FY 2023-24. The same committee voted 13-0 to clear HB-1408 to establish a digital equity program. It voted 10-0 for HB-933 to appropriate an unspecified amount of funding for a program to provide free telecom access “to certain information for persons with a print disability.”