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  • Sandwich Isles Communications

    In my opinion this is waste of money building a stewide fiber-optic network interconnecting all Hawaiian homelands. SIC is eventually receiving 400 million dollars from USDA RUS to accomplish this. Which will be repaid by the Universal Service Fund.

    My thinking is there is more pressing needs like getting water and critical infrastructure in place like roads on these homesteads. IMHO definately not wiring every homestead with a fiber-optic connection. There are homesteads here on the Big Island that very few if any people are currently living on. Places that come to mind South Point,Mauna Kea above Hilo. Nonetheless they will still be wired with fiber-optic cable.

    I know I'm probably very jealous as only Hawaiians living on DHHL lands will have access to this network. But on the other hand I just don't see the long term viability of this project.
    Check out my blog on Kona issues :
    The Kona Blog

  • #2
    Sandwich Isles and Home Depot

    I found out something very interesting, Home Depot in Hilo is using Sandwich Isles Communications for telephone service. Their number is 808 920-8400. Home Depot is on DHHL land but this is sort of borderline in my opinion. As Home Depot is not
    a Native Hawaiian entity. Home Depot is a multinational retail chain just leasing DHHL land.It was my understanding that SIC network was going to benefit only Native Hawaiians
    and Native Hawaiian businesses on DHHL land.
    Check out my blog on Kona issues :
    The Kona Blog

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Sandwich Isles and Home Depot

      You should check with WalMart and every store in the Waiakea Shopping plaza as well as the Prince Kuhio Mall too since they're on DHHL land as well. It is my understanding though that since HD is leasing the land from DHHL, the property is still under their jurisdiction (DHHL) and that HD has to abide with whatever phone service provider is allowed to serve there. Funny though since right next to WalMart is a Verizon Facility.

      The fact that lease monies from HD and WM are being used for the benefit of Native Hawaiians is a good arguement allowing these retailers to utilize Sandwich Isle's phone service if by using those services it allows Sandwich Isle to keep operating costs down to Native Hawaiians and taxpayers by charging tenants (HD and WM) for phone use while on DHHL lands.

      HD also has received the blessings of the neighboring and inclusive Native Hawaiian communities on DHHL lands that HD will be impacting. HD gave those associations checks in the amount of $2500 each as a gesture of goodwill from the employees of HD Hilo. Basically there were no objections to the construction of store #8453 (Hilo Home Depot store identifier) by any Hawaiian organization directly or indirectly impacted by it's presence.

      Home Depot is very much a part of the community as it has dedicated itself to the needs of those impacted thru it's association with Habitat for Humanity and other community service organizations. As in Florida's recent bout with it's hurricane catastrophes, those Home Depot stores donated much needed building materials for those in need. Likewise isn't it nice to know that Home Depot Hilo will have the materials available if and when it is needed in the event of a civil emergency.

      140 local jobs were created with the development of HD #8453. DHHL got a boost in lease monies from HD, the Panewa neighborhood association was one of the groups who received monies to suppliment their budget, and Sandwich Isle Communications got a long term customer who will help solidify their existance beyond tax credits and federal grant monies to facilitate the needs of Native Hawaiians.

      In my book HD using Sandwich Isle phone service is a win-win situation for all those involved.
      Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Sandwich Isles and Home Depot

        Don't take my posting above as my opposition to Home Depot being built in Hilo,
        because it is not. I checked Office Max, Ross, Macy's,Wal-Mart, Sears they
        all use Verizon Hawaii prefixes. The only one I stumbled on that uses Sandwich
        Isles Communications is Home Depot. All the above businesses are on DHHL land.

        The Verizon facility next to Wal-Mart is not a central office, it is Verizon's
        baseyard for their equipment and vehicles. On the other hand the facility
        on Railroad Avenue on the left hand side near the Makaala Street intersection
        is Sandwich Isles Communications 920-xxx prefix central office.

        My beef with this situation is this 400 million dollar fiber-optic taxpayer funded network shouldn't be benefitting a multinational corporation like Home Depot.
        It is being built to benefit only Native Hawaiians and their businesses on DHHL
        land.
        Check out my blog on Kona issues :
        The Kona Blog

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Sandwich Isles and Home Depot

          Craig, just to let you know I found out that DHHL requires
          all tenants of DHHL land to use Sandwich Isles Communications.
          I got that information straight from DHHL. But nonetheless
          I still firmly believe Home Depot has no business using
          Sandwich Isles for their telephone service for reasons I mentioned above.
          Check out my blog on Kona issues :
          The Kona Blog

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Sandwich Isles and Home Depot

            Originally posted by Aaron S
            I still firmly believe Home Depot has no business using Sandwich Isles for their telephone service for reasons I mentioned above.
            Do you honestly believe Sandwich Isles was created to not only benefit, but only directly serve, Native Hawaiians? Why would anyone start a telecommunications company, a revenue-generating operation, and specifically limit their market? "I want to start a restaurant to support my family... but only people with last names that begin with 'K' will be allowed to eat!"

            If only Native Hawaiians were allowed to shop at Na Mea Hawaii or the Hale Ku`ai Cooperative, they'd be out of business in a day.
            My beef with this situation is this 400 million dollar fiber-optic taxpayer funded network shouldn't be benefitting a multinational corporation like Home Depot. It is being built to benefit only Native Hawaiians and their businesses on DHHL land.
            How is it benefiting Home Depot? Aren't they paying for the service? Aren't they paying rent?

            A "multinational corporation" is probably the ideal client for arrangements like these, as they are able to pay a lot, and pay reliably. If revenue generation (to benefit Native Hawaiians) was a primary concern, I'd take a Home Depot over four dozen Cheapo stores.
            Last edited by pzarquon; January 7, 2005, 05:57 AM.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Sandwich Isles and Home Depot

              The rules they have to follow in regards to their loans and their license
              to operate specifically prohibit serving non-DHHL areas. Here is what
              Mr. Yonenaka of DHHL told me [Which supports what I was told before]

              "Dear Aaron:
              SIC is limited to only DHHL lands. That is part of their requirement of
              funding."

              It isn't a question that they are or not paying for the service from SIC.
              It is a question of the basis of whom their 400 million dollar fiber-optic
              network is going to benefit. It wasn't built to benefit Home Depot I can
              tell you that.
              Check out my blog on Kona issues :
              The Kona Blog

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Sandwich Isles and Home Depot

                SIC is limited to DHHL land. Home Depot sits on DHHL land. Therefore, Home Depot uses SIC. I fail to see the conflict. A different way to phrase it could be, "Tenants on DHHL land should use DHHL-linked SIC." That is, monies toward rent andtoward telecommunications are going toward Native Hawaiian programs. This is preferable to Home Depot using DHHL land but sending money to Verizon, right?

                Use of SIC by anyonebenefits Hawaiians. That it is a technologically competitive network is a good thing, and benefits Home Depot only insofar as how it's distinguished from other providers' offerings.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Sandwich Isles and Home Depot

                  It is unfortunate that you do not see the conflict here. Sandwich Isles is building a 400 million dollar taxpayer funded fiber-optic network that only people on DHHL land will be able to use.

                  I spent a year from 2002 until early 2003 trying to fight this project because I felt and still believe this is A) A waste of taxpayer funds B) Racially : discriminatory use of taxpayer funds. USDA RUS is loaning 400 million dollars to SIC which will be repaid by the Universal Service Fund. Which every phone customer in the United States pays into.

                  I gave up 2003 my fight against SIC as the bureaucratic web was just a bunch of roadblocks. My interest got renewed when I found out Home Depot is using Sandwich Isles for phone service. To me Home Depot using SIC's network is wrong. I know DHHL mandates every lessee use SIC. But to me that shouldn't include Home Depot as that is not a native Hawaiian entity.

                  Anyone who cares about how their taxpayer money is used {or wasted -Hello Mel} should really take a close look at this project.
                  Check out my blog on Kona issues :
                  The Kona Blog

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Sandwich Isles and Home Depot

                    Hey guys! Sorry I haven't chimed in earlier. Aaron thanks for the private message linking me back into this...yeah really

                    Anyway I don't think Home Depot had much choice in deciding who will carry their phone service since becoming a tenant of DHHL lands. The important thing is that they had the blessings of DHHL, and the native Hawaiian communities it impacts.

                    As for taxpayer dollars, there are a lot of start up private company entities that benefit from federal grant monies (taxpayer dollars) to get their businesses started. I'm one of those. I hired a grant writer to snag federal grant monies to start up an organic farm business that will provide organically grown veggies for the federally funded school lunch program for my farm business.

                    Yes I will be cutting a paycheck from the revenues generated by this company started with taxpayer monies, but it's benefitting the needs of taxpayer's children who attend public schools.

                    Likewise Home Depot's alliance with SIC fiber network is benefiting native Hawaiians by virtue of it payments to suppliment SIC's existance to provide communications for Native Hawaiians. HD's outreach programs also are benefiting those Native Hawaiians on DHHL lands. In order for these programs to work HD needs a phone system that can help and direct these individuals.

                    I see your point that HD is benefiting from SIC privately, however HD's payments to SIC for use of services is also benefitting Native Hawaiians and that's what SIC's existance is all about isn't it? Whatever keeps SIC alive to help facilitate the needs of Native Hawaiians should be deemed as beneficial. HD's support of SIC is benefitting SIC therefore HD should be allowed to use SIC's fiber network.

                    Plus the store manager of HD Hilo is Hawaiian as well as a lot of the associate managers, sales associates and stock crew. HD is benefitting Hawaiians in general in more ways than just it's use of SIC. This is a way in which a big corporate company can help Native Hawaiians instead of hurting it. There is no harm to Native Hawaiians from HD into Hilo only gains. The only complaints I've heard came from Haole's who just have a problem with corporate America.
                    Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Sandwich Isles and Home Depot

                      Craig I work for corporate America [Kmart], or did you conveniently forget. Plus I don't understand why my ethnicity has anything to do with the issue at hand.
                      I was born and raised in Kailua-Kona and have been a taxpaying citizen for
                      the last 9 years. I take a huge offense bringing racial overtones into this.

                      Getting back to that issue at hand, I still believe the project being built
                      by Sandwich Isles Communications is a waste of taxpayer funds. Making
                      things worse is since SIC is prohibited from serving non-DHHL areas
                      I strongly feel that this boondoggle project won't be self supporting.
                      So guess what it will probably require continuous taxpayer subsidies.

                      Thus the bottom line is I'm definitely angry about this project. I would've
                      not spent a year of my life fighting it if I felt differently.

                      Also this has NOTHING to do with Home Depot opening up in Hilo.
                      It is just with whom Home Depot is using for telephone service.
                      Last edited by Aaron S; January 9, 2005, 10:02 AM.
                      Check out my blog on Kona issues :
                      The Kona Blog

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Sandwich Isles and Home Depot

                        Originally posted by Aaron S

                        Anyone who cares about how their taxpayer money is used {or wasted -Hello Mel} should really take a close look at this project.
                        Aaron, thanks for throwing bait at me once again via this message thread that I have not been involved with and through the private message function of this board.

                        I don't like being dragged into an issue that I don't know too much about. So at this time I have "no comment".

                        ________________________________
                        Caution: You have entered a liberal inundation zone.
                        I'm still here. Are you?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Sandwich Isles and Home Depot

                          Originally posted by Aaron S
                          Craig I work for corporate America [Kmart], or did you conveniently forget. Plus I don't understand why my ethnicity has anything to do with the issue at hand.
                          I was born and raised in Kailua-Kona and have been a taxpaying citizen for
                          the last 9 years. I take a huge offense bringing racial overtones into this.

                          Getting back to that issue at hand, I still believe the project being built
                          by Sandwich Isles Communications is a waste of taxpayer funds. Making
                          things worse is since SIC is prohibited from serving non-DHHL areas
                          I strongly feel that this boondoggle project won't be self supporting.
                          So guess what it will probably require continuous taxpayer subsidies.

                          Thus the bottom line is I'm definitely angry about this project. I would've
                          not spent a year of my life fighting it if I felt differently.

                          Also this has NOTHING to do with Home Depot opening up in Hilo.
                          It is just with whom Home Depot is using for telephone service.

                          Aaron I never singled you out when I meant "Haole", as a matter of fact I never even knew you were Haole until you took it personally. The reason why I mentioned Haole is because 1) the only negative editorial I've read about in the Hilo Tribune came from someone with a Haole name, and 2) the only arrogant people I've seen in Hilo HD were two Haole people that made this magnificant fuss about not getting what they came down for because HD was out of stock. I never meant to direct the arrogance at you. Heck for some reason I never thought of you as Haole in a negative sense or Haole at all since you never gave away your last name, only an initial. But regardless, I apologize if I came across as being racist towards you...I wasn't and I'm sorry for that perception.

                          And I knew you worked at K Mart, I just never wanted to publicly disclose that since you only mentioned that to me in private messages. Your remarks about WalMart and big box retailers in general made me hesitate about wanting to mentioning anything about linking you and your feelings of corporate america with Kmart (which was the first big box retailer to set foot in Hawaii on Nimitz Highway) without making you sound like a hypocrite or maybe I just didn't understand your stance against Wal Mart to begin with and for that I apologize as well, however you did say some pretty negative stuff about WalMart in those threads (and they're still published for anyone to read).

                          However I do understand your concerns about Home Depot, from a logical and legal perspective you are correct, however Home Depot's intentions aren't to circumvent anything it just needs phone lines and SIC is the only provider available. What else can you do? Not build on it? Then everybody loses.

                          SIC's fiber system is up and running paid for with taxpayer money. SIC needs to stay in existance and in order for the invested taxpayer money sponsored company to stay alive, it has to either accept business from private entities OR keep getting funding at the expense of the taxpayers, as a taxpayer wouldn't you choose to have SIC fund itself thru private capital. Hawaiians living on DHHL lands don't have all the luxuries of high speed internet and nowdays the internet is fast becoming the primary way of doing business. I've been a taxpayer for 27-years, born and raised in Honolulu and don't have a problem with SIC at all and I'm a Republican! I do believe that government subsidy is necessary for those in need.

                          And Native Hawaiians did have their lands illegally taken away from them by our own government. This association with SIC, DHHL and the Federal government will help compensate for that wrong. It may have been wrong to discriminate by allowing taxpayer dollars to fund one race, however it was even worse when the US government discriminated against the Hawaiians in the illegal overthrow of their own existance, their royal governance. I see nothing wrong with undoing the injustices by bending the constitution to benefit a race that was negatively impacted by the goverment that drafted that very constitution that protects us.

                          Let's not turn this into another WalMart thread. Whatever HD, SIC and DHHL agreed upon is now in the open and let's see if a lawsuit arises. Personally I don't think this is much of an issue, but if it does become one, I'm sure Home Depot will severe it's business contract with SIC and pay for telephone service thru Verizon even if it takes paying for running poles and lines from the demarkation point to HD's front door. It's not Home Depot's intention to be a bad neighbor, as a matter of fact I've heard a lot of good things from the many customers that have actually patronized it.

                          The Haole remark is simply because it literally was two Caucasian people (one man and one woman) in seperate incidents that really had no social manners and berated several Home Depot sales associates and nearby customers and their children had to hear their foul mouths as well. I should have just said, two people and not made any reference to their race. My mistake and I'm sorry for that racist remark and to you Aaron since you took it personally.

                          But anyway your case raises an interesting point and I would like to see how this unfolds if it even does.

                          Okay are we all back to being happy people here?
                          Last edited by craigwatanabe; January 10, 2005, 01:22 AM.
                          Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Sandwich Isles and Home Depot

                            Originally posted by craigwatanabe
                            1) the only negative editorial I've read about in the Hilo Tribune came from someone with a Haole name, and
                            I was that person who wrote that letter to the editor about SIC to the Hilo Tribune Herald and the Honolulu Star Bulletin/Advertiser, Hawaiian Island Journal, Maui News.
                            But regardless, I apologize if I came across as being racist towards you...I wasn't and I'm sorry for that perception.
                            Thank you for apologizing I really do appreciate it.
                            And I knew you worked at K Mart, I just never wanted to publicly disclose that since you only mentioned that to me in private messages. Your remarks about WalMart and big box retailers in general made me hesitate about wanting to mentioning anything about linking you and your feelings of corporate america with Kmart (which was the first big box retailer to set foot in Hawaii on Nimitz Highway) without making you sound like a hypocrite or maybe I just didn't understand your stance against Wal Mart to begin with and for that I apologize as well, however you did say some pretty negative stuff about WalMart in those threads (and they're still published for anyone to read).
                            I know I probably sounded like a hypocrite looking back at it. But I don't regret what I said about Wal-Mart, not in the least...but that is getting O/T
                            But anyway your case raises an interesting point and I would like to see how this unfolds if it even does.
                            Well truthfully the fight I was pursuing two years ago is over with. It was
                            caught in a bureaucratic web.
                            Originally posted by mel
                            Aaron, thanks for throwing bait at me once again
                            That wasn't my intention, check your e-mail please.
                            Check out my blog on Kona issues :
                            The Kona Blog

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Sandwich Isles and Home Depot

                              One interesting thing I found tonight was this :
                              http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Da...C-04-256A1.doc

                              Evidently Sandwich Isles Universal Service Waiver has been recinded and they will have to re-apply for it.
                              Check out my blog on Kona issues :
                              The Kona Blog

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