Hāna Business Council
Broadband Committee
Broadband Related Articles
Spectrum (Charter) Cable Customers DCCA Service Request
To support the Hana Business Councils effort to have Spectrum’s franchise renewal include the requirement that credit for service outages be automatically given to all customers please download, sign and date the accompanying letter and send it to the DCCA (Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs) as shown below.
To request outage compensation as a franchise requirement email: cabletv@dcca.hawaii.gov
To file a complaint with the DCCA email: https://hdcca.hawaii.gov/s/cable-television-complaints
Click **HERE** to download the following SAMPLE LETTER in doc format to edit and send:
TO: Nadine Y. Ando, Director, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, State of Hawaii
Aloha DCCA,
As a business, it is understandable that Spectrum is motivated to increase income and decrease expenses. In rural communities where they are serving a small number of clients in a large area it is understandable for their need to keep maintenance costs down, but it should not come at the expense of the consumer. Currently Spectrum is allowed to apply charges for services they are not providing. Hana is on a microwave dish that connects all customers and when that connection fails everyone in Hana has to request credit for the outage. Very few choose to note the time of the outage and go through the process to seek credit. Those who do not request credit are paying for a service that they are not receiving.
Being a large company with limited competition and self-protecting policies should not excuse unfair business practices, nor should geographic location or technical limitations. All customers should be treated equally and fairly. Compensation for poor service is only fair and should be the practice of a reputable business. With current technology Spectrum knows when the service is slow and when it is out for an entire area they shouldn’t have to be asked by every individual customer for fair compensation.
Spectrum profits by bringing in more customers, but there is little incentive for Spectrum to maintain quality service over a spread out base of customers. The best way to assure that Spectrum is maintaining quality service is to only allow them to charge the customer for the services that they have received. For franchise renewal Spectrum should be required to automatically give credit for a whole day when service is out for more than four hours. While the franchise renewal is for television we ask that it be extended to include the internet that customers in Hana are dependent on for doing business.
There needs to be an incentive for Spectrum to maintain the service that we paid for and this appears as the best way to do that.
___________________________ __________
Hana District Spectrum Customer Date
State of Hawaiʻi Broadband and Digital Equity Office (HBDEO)
Digital Equity Plan Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Downloadable PDF
As the State of Hawaiʻi works on developing a statewide digital equity plan, we are gathering input throughout Hawaiʻi! Below are some frequently asked questions and additional information to better understand the planning process and how you can get involved.
What is the Digital Equity Plan all about?
The Digital Equity Plan will come up with solutions for individuals and communities across our state who are impacted by the “digital divide,” which means they do not have reliable, affordable access to devices, training, and the Internet.
Spectrum Provides Internet Credit to East Maui Residents!
Aloha Mai Kakou
UPDATE ~ MARCH 14, 2023
East Maui is still waiting for Spectrum Hawaii to complete the new microwave dish construction, so residents should still not be charged for their internet on Spectrum billing. If you do see that your service has resumed being charged, contact the following to report and get reimbursed again:
William C. Wesselman
Email – William.Wesselman@charter.com
Ph. – (303)489-5436
Other News:
Once again we are asking residents to run speed tests on their internet connections – download speed should average 100 Mbps in the evening. There have been many reports of inconsistent internet connections. Go to https://www.speedtest.net/ and choose to have the test run through the optimal server which should test going through Honolulu, not Spectrum on the mainland. If you are seeing low results running a few tests over a 10 minute period, send screenshots of your results to hbc@hanabusinesscouncil.com and we will put together a package to send to Spectrum.
Bill Sides
HANA BROADBAND COMMITTEE
A Sub-Committee of
THE HANA BUSINESS COUNCIL
P.O. Box 432
Hana, HI 96713
Ph. (808)248-7758
Cell (808)281-8073
wrsides@Hotmail.com
HAWAIIAN TELCOM BROADBAND
After discussing the confusion experienced by East Maui customers regarding their new broadband service, Hawaiian Telcom has assigned their customer relations manager (Dana Wong) to work directly with interested parties to resolve their problems when inquiring about eligibility for the new limited broadband service. Upon request she has submitted the notice below for me to distribute. I think this will make it easier for folks inquiring about new service. Please feel free to call me if you have questions or any further issues.
Bill Sides, Hana Broadband Committee
(808) 248-7758
Hawaiian Telcom is now offering broadband service to certain addresses in East Maui. Because the situation in our community is unique and requires special handling, Dana Wong from the Customer Relations office will be helping to facilitate the process.
Please follow these simple steps:
- Call 808-643-3377 (toll free), Text 808-859-6390 (Honolulu cell, charges may apply) or Email Customer.Relations@hawaiiantel.com to share your full name, your street address or Tax Map Key and the best contact number.
- By the next business day, you can expect to receive a response letting you know if your address is eligible for services or not.
- If your address qualifies, Dana will help to coordinate issuance of your order and scheduling of your appointment.
Appointments are limited to Tuesdays and Wednesdays and are on a first-come, first-served basis.
If you contacted the Hawaiian Telcom customer service team in the past and were told your address was not eligible, please contact Dana Wong and have her double check your address. Our community addresses, which include non-traditional street addresses, were not uploaded into the customer service systems, so there is a chance that your address is eligible.