A proposal to improve the island’s radio infrastructure needs a bit more development.
At a Wednesday meeting of the County Council’s Committee on Governmental Operations and External Affairs, Kohala Councilwoman Cindy Evans presented a resolution requesting that the mayor convene a working group that would develop a “county radio plan” to improve the county’s emergency response capabilities in rural areas.
Scott Uehara from County Civil Defense said his department has been working for years on a program called “Auxiliary Communication Service” that does much the same thing as Evans’ proposal, by working with amateur radio operators to ensure communications reach the island’s most remote locations.
However, Evans said an official working group can help secure funding from the state and federal governments for future communications improvements.
That said, Evans said she wants additional time to amend the resolution and discuss it more with amateur radio operators. The council voted unanimously to postpone the matter until a future committee hearing.