Glen Allen, VA, June 2, 2010—The State of Hawaii’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) has been awarded a $1.9 million federal grant to develop an interactive online map that can be used by consumers to identify the availability, speed and location of broadband services in the State of Hawaii.
The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. It includes approximately $1.4 million in federal funds for broadband data collection and mapping activities in Hawaii over a two-year period, and $500,000 in federal funds for broadband planning activities over a five-year period. DCCA has teamed with the University of Hawaii Pacific Disaster Center (University of Hawaii) as well as with BroadMap, a geospatial solutions company, and the New America Foundation (New America), a non-profit public policy institute, to complete the mapping portion of the project. The partnership between the University of Hawaii, BroadMap and New America will ensure that Hawaii and its citizens receive the most benefit from the stimulus funding.
“The mapping effort will provide an important resource for consumers in Hawaii, enabling them to identify and choose between the growing number of broadband services that are becoming available in the State,” said DCCA Director of Cable Television Division Clyde Sonobe. “We anticipate the broadband map will encourage increased competition between broadband service providers by giving them additional information regarding communities within the State that would benefit from the availability of new broadband services."
"We respect the DCCA's efforts to increase broadband services to all communities across the State of Hawaii and are excited to be part of this mission. Our work compiling multiple layers of real-time location and broadband serviceability data allows us to provide a highly accurate and complementary GIS solution to current State efforts," said Daniel Perrone, CEO of BroadMap. "This has been an area of expertise for our team since the early days of broadband. Our maps will empower Hawaii's leaders to reach those who are unserved and underserved by broadband service, and help consumers better understand their options."
New America's experience in the wireless space and its access to some of the most innovative crowd sourcing tools available make it uniquely suited to provide support for the project. As co-founders of the Measurement Lab (M-Lab) in partnership with Google, Inc., New America will provide the infrastructure and tools to assist with the collection of broadband speed and user data.
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BroadMap provides government, non-profit and commercial business partners with custom-fit Geographic Information System (GIS) solutions. Originally founded by industry veterans to address emerging broadband mapping needs, BroadMap is now a driving force in digital mapping products and services. By matching the demand for innovative GIS solutions with an agile business model and visionary leadership, BroadMap continues its rapid growth by competing for and winning high profile business. Assembling top GIS talent to address our customers’ most pressing GIS needs has allowed BroadMap to generate new jobs and establish itself as both a community and market leader. BroadMap’s highly regarded technology team brings nearly 300 years of combined mapping experience across multiple industry sectors. This expertise allows BroadMap to enhance customer value through comprehensive, accurate and current digital maps and GIS solutions, while it continues to expand into data aggregation/verification, data conversion and consulting services. BroadMap is uniquely equipped to help diverse enterprise customers address their GIS challenges. BroadMap is headquartered in Glen Allen, Va., with a Technology and Sales office in Lebanon, N.H. www.broadmap.com
The New America Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy institute that invests in new thinkers and new ideas to address the next generation of challenges facing the United States. The company co-founded the Measurement Lab (M-Lab) with Google Inc. to support the effective study of broadband networks. Launched in 1999, the institute is now led by President and CEO Steve Coll, former managing editor of The Washington Post, and a Board of Directors chaired by Eric Schmidt (Google Chairman and CEO). New America is headquartered in Washington D.C. and also has a significant presence in California. www.newamerica.net
Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Cable Television Division Contact:
808-586-2620
BroadMap Contact:
Holly Perrone, 804-767-1571 direct, 817-929-1449 mobile
Chief Marketing Officer
New America Foundation Contact:
Michael Calabrese, 202-986-9453
Vice President & Director, Wireless Future Program