CNMI Broadband Policy and Development Office Special Assistant Glen Hunter delivered the following prepared remarks Wednesday at the signing of the BEAD Program Subgrant Agreement at the governor’s office on Capitol Hill. The agreement commits more than $31 million in federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment funds, matched by nearly $22 million in private investment from IT&E, toward a four-year project to build a fully underground, climate-hardened fiber optic network reaching every home, business and community anchor institution across Saipan, Tinian and Rota. Hunter’s remarks are reproduced in full below.
Håfa Adai yan Tirow!
Governor Apatang, NTIA leadership, members of the press, and guests, thank you for being here today.
We gather under extremely difficult circumstances. Our islands remain in a declared state of disaster following the direct hit of Super Typhoon Sinlaku. Families and businesses are still recovering. Power, water, and communications are fragile. This context matters, because it reminds us that today is not ceremonial. What we are signing today is about recovery, resilience, and rebuilding in a way that finally breaks a cycle we know all too well.
As we have all seen and felt, our infrastructure took a severe hit. When poles come down and power is lost, our communities are cut off, from loved ones, from first responders, and from critical information. We have lived this after Soudelor, Yutu, Mawar, and now Sinlaku. Each time, the lesson has been clear: rebuilding the same way guarantees we will be back here again.
When BPD was created, we made a deliberate decision to stop repeating that history.
Three and a half years ago, the late Governor Arnold Palacios issued a directive formally establishing BPD. He gave us a clear mission: secure federal funding, plan responsibly, and build a strong, reliable digital foundation for the CNMI. Even as we respond to the current disaster, today represents a meaningful step in fulfilling that charge and honoring his vision.
I am proud to stand with Governor David Apatang as we officially sign the BEAD Program Subgrant Agreement. After a rigorous and highly competitive process, IT&E was selected as the subgrantee to deploy broadband networks across Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.
When this effort began, 100 percent of the CNMI lacked access to true broadband. To change that, our office secured a historic BEAD allocation of nearly $81 million from the NTIA. Through today’s agreement, we are committing just over $31 million in BEAD funds to deployment, matched by an extraordinary private investment of nearly $22 million from IT&E, more than 40 percent of total project costs and well beyond what was required of them.
This partnership delivers something that is both practical and ambitious: a 100 percent underground, climate-hardened, end-to-end fiber optic network reaching every home, business, and community anchor institution in the Commonwealth. By burying this network, hardening facilities, and planning for extended power outages, we are protecting our digital lifelines and ensuring connectivity when our community needs it most, before, during, and after the next storm.
In looking back, one of the hardest parts of this process was not funding or planning. It was holding the line on resiliency. We faced repeated pressure to scale back how hardened this network should be. We did not compromise. Federal dollars must be used wisely, and in the CNMI that means building infrastructure designed to last. Anything less would fail the people we serve.
This project is about people, not just infrastructure. That is why we also used BEAD funding to launch the Governor’s Broadband Boot Camp. Nearly 300 CNMI residents were trained in broadband deployment fundamentals. That local workforce is now prepared to support this buildout, strengthen our economy, and keep technical expertise and jobs here at home.
Over the next four years, you will see work happening across the CNMI, with sites coming online as milestones are met. Even as we recover from disaster, this project represents forward momentum, stability, and long-term security.
When complete, the CNMI will be one of the only places in the Nation with a fully underground, end-to-end fiber network serving every resident and business. That will change how we deliver healthcare, education, public safety, and economic opportunity, and it does so in a way that reflects the realities of island life.
I want to thank the NTIA for their trust and partnership, and we are grateful to have Ethan Lake, William Navas, and Courtney Dozier joining us by video today. Your guidance and support made this possible.
I want to recognize the BPD team for their persistence and dedication, and to thank Dave, Velma, Janice, and the entire IT&E team for stepping up to connect the Commonwealth the right way, and for committing more than 40 percent in matching funds to this project.
Finally, I also want to thank Governor Apatang for his steadfast leadership, his commitment to resiliency, and his determination for us to stay the course.
We have a long road ahead as we recover from this latest storm. But as we place this underground fiber, we are laying the groundwork for a stronger, more connected, and more secure CNMI for generations to come.
Si Yu’us Ma’åse’, and Ghilisow.