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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0170.000 2000-2002 sandwich ~Jsles (1~ommunications, ~lnc. .1 A'almana CemGam • i:' I I I U i 7 March 28, 2001 ,/I'he Honorable James Y. Arakaki Chairman, County Council The Honorable Nancy Pisicchio Chair, Committee on Human Services & Economic Development County of Hawaii 25 Aupuni Street, Room 209 Hilo, HI 96720 Dear Chairman Arakaki and Chair Pisichio. Sandwich Isles Communications, Inc (SIC) is building a modern, next generation, high-speed, broadband, fiber optic cable telecommunications network for Hawaiian Home Lands (HHL) The network will connect all 69 non- contiguous HHL parcels statewide with undersea and anal]-underground fiber optic cable infrastructure And, the largest construction expenditure will be realized in Hawaii County We would like to make a presentation to brief the members of the Human Services and Economic Development Committee on our company and the overall project Our briefing includes two videos and a power point presentation. As the briefing takes approximately 40 minutes, you may want to allocate 60 minutes to include a question and answer period. We will be available to do this presentation after April 10, 2001 Enclosed is a fact sheet with two maps to better acquaint you with the overall network conceptual design and the Hawaii County portion planned for construction completion in 3 to 5 years The map of Hawaii County also shows our switching facilities that have been constructed with Lai'opua and Pu'ukapu already operational and serving HHL beneficiaries in those communities The Hilo facility at Panaewa has been constructed and the installation of the digital switching equipment is in progress We are excited about bringing basic and advanced telecommunication services to HHL residents in Hawaii County We are also excited that we will have a positive economic impact on the County with the creation of jobs and the infusion of new capital into the County's economy The network, when ~ ~ d z ~ 100] Bishop Street, Pauah~ Tower 27th Floor, Honolulu, HI 96873 - (808) 524-8400 -Fax (808) 599-9653 E z E' G ema~ info®sandwichsles coin 6 r: C~ ~ ~ s~ The Honorable James Y. Arakaki The Honorable Nancy Pisicchio March 28, 2001 Page 2 completed, will create telecommunications delivery opportunities for HHL, the state and all counties. As I will be away from the office Apri12-9, 2001, our point of contact will be Mr. Tom Okamura. Mr. Okamura may be reached at (808) 540-5753 or (808) 223-5596 Thank you, and we look forward to hearing from you. Aloha, i inistration & Community Affairs Enclosures cc• Mr Tom Okamura sandwich ~lsles C2Zommunications, ~1nc. A Watmana Company Sandwich Isles Communications Network for Hswauan Home Lands Fact Syeet (3/01) In partners p Wrath the Department of Hawaiian Home Lends (DHHL) and the U S. Department f Agriculture Rutal Utilities Service (RUS), Sandwich Isles Communic 'ons, Inc. (SIC) will be building a modern, next generation, high-speed, broadband ber optic cable telecommunications infrastructure to service all Hawaiian Home Len pazcels. DHHL granted SIC a license to build, operate, and connect all Hawaiian me Lands (HHL} parcels statewide with a network that will deliver telephony d broadband services that are affordable and accessible to all HHL residents. SIC is by long term, low interest RUS loans and private funding, and will be expending least 5500 million over the next 3 to 5 years to construct and operate the network. S is currently serving seven (7) new HHL communities. Six (6) more new communiti are scheduled for service by yearend 2001. SIC SIC was fo tied in 1995 th response to a request from DHHL that sought to provide DHHL with modem telecommunications irifrastructrue at no cost to DHHL or its beneficiarie SIC is a native Hawaiian-owned and operated company, and has obtained a State of H waii Public Utilities Commission tPUC) Certificate of Authority to operate and service L as a defined geographic service azea. SIC has been designated by the Federal Co unications Commission (FCC) as a Waal local exchange carrier (RLEC) and eligible or Universal Service Fund support to build and operate the network and service Since SIC initiated local exchange services in 1998, it has invested over 530 million facilities, digital switching and related equipment and services. HHL Created by e U S. Congress in 1920, HHL was established to assist native Hawaiians in the areas of ucation, healthcare and economic development The HHL Homesteading Program es land available to native Hawaiian beneficiaries on a lease basis for 51 a year for 99 azs. The HHL inventory is available for residential, agricultural, pastoral and comma ial use by native Hawaiian beneficiazies and includes 69 non-contiguous parcels total g 200,000 acres located on the 6 major Hawaiian Islands DHHL has 6,500 existing le s, and another 29,000 applications for leases. RUS The RUS is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and its mission is to promote and support the development of utility infrastructure and services m rural Amenca, so that every American in the rural and insulaz azeas has affordable access to emergency essential and modem utrlity conveniences enjoyed in urban azeas In fulfilling its nussion, RUS provides long-term, low interest loans to rural telephone companies like SIC and projects like the SIC Network for HHL. In partnership with SIC and HHL, RUS has committed funding in excess of $400 million in loans to SIC to support the construction and operation of the SIC Network and the delivery of affordable telecommunications access and services to HHL and its residents SIC Network The SIC network will be anal]-fiber optic cable network, and it will be independent of any existing networks owned and operated by other existing providers m the State of Hawaii. It will traverse 1,500 terrestrial and undersea route miles. The submanne portion of the network will connect the six major Hawaiian Islands with primary and alternate routes On land, the network will be anal]-underground infrastructure, and it will also have pnmary and alternate routes. It will be aself-healing network, as the primary and altemate routes will create infra-state redundancy The network will feature the latest technology and greatest number of fiber in the state with exceptional bandwith capacity It is expected that the communittes between the HHL pazcels on the six islands will also realize the benefits of a new and modem telecommunicatrons infrastructure Network Benefits HHL and beneficiaries wall gain an independent, new and modernized telecommunicatrons infrastructure wrath access to advanced services at affordable rates The non-contrguous nature of the 69 HHL pazcels on the six major Hawaiian Islands makes the network a statewide network that wtll create immediate and future construction and high tech pnmary and ancillary jobs. It will also create or attract new high tech and other businesses to HHL, the state and all countres. In addition, at least $500 million m new construction capital will be infused into the state economy over the next 3 to 5 years. Contact Information Gil Tam VP, Administratron & Community Affairs Sandwnch Isle Communicatrons, Inc 1001 Bishop Street, Pauahi Tower #2700 Honolulu, HI 96813 Ph (808) 540-5737 Fax. (SOS) 599-4653 E-mail Riltamr~w•a~mana coin ~p~ ~ ~ _ .v 4 '•~h c ~Jl j~ T ? 7 C o ~ y ~ ~ 3 ~D C2. N o r ~v J1 . ~ S. _ svt ~ ~ ~ ~ c z ~ ~ ~ ~ . O ~ ~ ~ i 1 1 • j j ~ \ ~ ~ ~yf~ G, i ~ \ ~ i~~ ~ !j , . ~9 ~ ~ VVV e u' ~c, s• r , ~r t • - r, ~ ~ J rt ~ y, IJ ~ ~ ~ T • ~.~f A ~ ~ ~ 1