A $1.9 million federal grant will help the state map broadband availability statewide and help arm consumers with information.

“;The mapping effort will provide an important resource for consumers in Hawaii, enabling them to identify and choose between the growing number of broadband services that are becoming available in the state,”; said Director Larry Reifurth, of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

The online database, for which the state will receive $1.4 million to develop over two years, will identify the availability, speed and location of broadband services in Hawaii.

Reifurth hopes the map will encourage increased competition between service providers “;by giving them additional information regarding communities within the state that would benefit from the availability of new broadband services.”;

The other $500,000 is for broadband planning activities over a five-year period.

The grant, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is part of an initiative by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the U.S. Commerce Department.