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Broadband office says revolving fund is not yet funded; Act 201 moved office to DAGS and ITSC will advise on eligible projects
Summary
Chung Chang, director of the Hawaii Broadband and Digital Equity Office, told the IT Steering Committee that Act 201 relocated the office to the Department of Accounting and General Services and that the office’s broadband revolving fund has not yet been set up or funded.
Chung Chang, director of the Hawaii Broadband and Digital Equity Office, told the IT Steering Committee that Act 201 moved the broadband office from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) to the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS). Chang said the statutory transfer has occurred but administrative steps remain, including moving the office budget; staff expect full administrative transition to take additional time.
Chang described the broadband revolving fund established by the law as the vehicle that will hold legislative appropriations, gifts and any revenue from state‑owned broadband assets (for example, middle‑mile assets that could produce revenue). Chang said the fund is currently unfunded and the office will need time—he estimated at least six months—to set up the fund before expenditures are possible. When the fund is established, the IT Steering Committee will have an advisory role under the statute and the state comptroller must approve uses of the fund.
Chang told the committee the revolving fund is intended to support projects that advance affordable connectivity, community technical assistance and other broadband projects. Examples the office provided include public Wi‑Fi, workforce development, disaster recovery, telehealth, digital literacy and device distribution; Chang emphasized that many potential projects would be external grants or non‑state recipients such as community anchor institutions and nonprofits, rather than internal agency operating projects.
Committee members asked about the potential size of the fund and other federal and private funding streams. Chang said he could not provide a firm dollar figure for the revolving fund at this time. Garrett (meeting participant) and other staff described multiple funding sources in play statewide: the team said an inter‑island middle‑mile project has funding from the Treasury Capital Projects Fund and is progressing; the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program and other federal funds remain in negotiation or require further NTIA guidance; and private carriers continue capital investment that may help last‑mile deployment. Garrett said several transpacific cable projects are active or under discussion and could add capacity.
Chang ended by asking the committee for ongoing advisory support and said the office will provide more detailed updates as the administrative transfer and the revolving‑fund setup proceed. No formal expenditure or grant actions were taken at the meeting; the office emphasized the fund was not yet active and that further committee review will follow once funds are available.
