DBEDT – Hawaii Broadband & Digital Equity Office

DBEDT coordinated a waiver petition with the Federal Communications Commission for a waiver of the spectrum claim for the unassigned 2.5 GHz frequency, currently available to federally recognized Native American Tribes and Native Alaskan Villages but not Native Hawaiians. While Hawaiian Homelands qualify under the Tribal Priority rules as areas where an applicant can claim an available license, there is no Hawaiian ‘tribe’ or ‘village’ to claim such a license. Hawaii’s petition included responses from Governor David Y. Ige, US Senator Brian Schatz, DHHL Chairman William J. Aila Jr. and OHA Chief Executive Officer Sylvia M. Hussey.