Hawaii gov aims to speed up Internet connections

Gov. Neil Abercrombie's (D-Hawaii) administration said it aims to make Hawaii's Internet connection 200 times faster over the next seven years.

A Communications Workers of America report last year ranked Hawaii 31st in the nation in Internet speeds. The administration's goal is to have connection speeds of 1 gigabit per second by 2018. "We want to take it into every household," Abercrombie said at an event announcing the plan. "And we want to take it at a level that assures ubiquitous access." The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and other state agencies would play a critical role in implementing the plan by easing the regulatory process to help companies invest in broadband, Hawaii Broadband Task Force chairman David Lassner said.

(Aug 24)