RES 043 Draft 01 2020-2022 - Laserfiche WebLink

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limited natural resources and geographic isolation? What might it mean to a community which is much more relational than transactional in culture? What might it mean for a community that is risking boldly on a sustainability future and in so doing inviting innovation? It opens, inspires, and elevates the brilliance within the people of Hawaii. The closing of pineapple production on Lanai in 1992—after 40 years of operation— was devastating to a community whose entire economy was based on agriculture. The pivot that was easiest and natural was to align with Hawaii's largest industry. It was imperative that products or services to import dollars were needed to replace pineapple for the people of Lanai and tourism was the chosen venture. For a community who worked through four generations in pineapple it must have been a difficult transition but, without any real options for their own economic sovereignty, they shifted. Like Lanai in 1992 we find ourselves at a crossroads of change. This time the risk can be our own, the investments of ourselves can be leveraged to inspire others to join us and instead of being a laboratory for others we can be a resource for other laboratories. Broadband is our link to a future of greater resiliency and promise for Hawaii's future. The following goals, objectives, and strategies are a path for strengthening and expanding broadband in Hawaii. It is timely for us to embrace the risk and tackle the opportunity to support all the islands and residents of Hawaii. GOAL 1 :: Ensure Robust Broadband Infrastructure to All Hawaii Hawaii's unique island geography requires a wide range of infrastructure and technologies to provide broadband connectivity both across the State and with the rest of the world. With approximately 70% of Hawaii's residents living on Oahu, it is a challenge for providers to create an economically viable market in the much less densely populated areas of the islands outside of Oahu. Most of the areas of the State without broadband service or service fall below the Federal Communications Commission's definition of broadband and are on the islands outside of Oahu, i.e., Hawaii, Lanai, Molokai, Kauai, and Maui.