Hawaii relaxes rules for broadband, Wyoming goes Google

Hawaii is hoping to expand its broadband access statewide with the support of a new law that exempts broadband providers from state and county permitting requirements for installation, construction and development of broadband infrastructure. The bill will go into effect on July 1 and last for five years before sunsetting.

The state hopes that by relaxing time consuming licensing and permitting requirements they can entice broadband providers to increase their infrastructure investments throughout the islands. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs will provide a report off all exemptions given during the five year period and make recommendations on how to go forward.

Hawaii is looking for ways to increase the overall technology infrastructure throughout the state in order to provide more access to services such as telehealth. “Availability of broadband will change everything we do – from how we educate our children and deliver health care to the monitoring and control of our energy consumption,” said Governor Abercrombie of the law.

“Going Google”

Wyoming is also working to modernize how it manages technology and workflows by becoming the first state to deploy Google Apps for Government. All 10,00 state employees will now be able to manage their email and other online tasks through Google Apps. Previously, the state used more than 13 different platforms and email systems. The state expects to save over a million dollars a year using Google Apps.



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