Palacios: broadband investments, subsea cables and workforce training to position CNMI as a Pacific digital gateway

Governor Arnold I. Palacios told the joint session the administration has secured federal and private investments to expand broadband and digital infrastructure across the commonwealth and is investing in local workforce training to capture those economic opportunities.

Palacios said the commonwealth secured about $81,000,000 through a federal BEAD/BEAT program to construct an underground, climate-hardened fiber network and that Google committed roughly $93,000,000 to bring at least four new subsea fiber-optic cables to the CNMI over the next two years. He said the first cable will be named the Proa cable.

The governor also said Citadel Pacific is building a Google center on Tinian and that local partners have launched a broadband boot camp (with Northern Marianas College, NM Tech and Island Training Solutions) that has trained more than 300 residents in fiber-optic skills and job readiness. Palacios said training participants receive a living stipend and that boot-camp graduates will support construction and future operations of the new broadband network.

Palacios framed the broadband investments as foundational to diversifying the CNMI economy and improving resilience for remote islands, noting federal support for satellite broadband to reach the northern islands. No legislation was adopted during the session; the governor emphasized federal partnerships and private-sector commitments.