News
South Carolina has taken an aggressive approach to deploying broadband resources, according to the acting executive director of the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff.
More than 40 counties across the Palmetto State are set to benefit from dozens of projects awarded grant funding by the South Carolina Broadband Office (SCBBO), which has announced the conclusion of their American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Capital Projects Fund (CPF) 1.0 Grant Program.
With the conclusion of the program, the SCBBO announced awards for 16 projects totaling to $71.5 million, which followed up earlier rounds of grant awards announced in January and December.
Jim Stritzinger, the director of the SCBBO, expressed gratitude to all involved in making the program a success. His comments were included in the SCBBO’s Feb. 12 release.
“It has taken incredible SCBBO teamwork and lots of collaboration with our ISPs to reach this amazing milestone in South Carolina,” he said. “This vast collection of CPF projects will provide high-speed internet access to homes and businesses across 41 counties.”
The SCBBO’s release listed the total cost for the grant program at $290,246,872, with a 36 percent match rate of non-ARPA funds from federal and private sources, along with additional ARPA funds provided to the state.
The projects, required to be completed by December 2025, will build 4,200 miles of fiber and connect more than 33,000 housing units and almost 4,000 businesses, according to the SCBBO’s announcement.
Collectively, the SCBBO awarded 34 projects to 15 ISPs in the ARPA CPF 1.0 Grant Program, according to the office’s announcement.
Andrew Bateman, the acting executive director of the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff, said the state has taken an “aggressive approach to making broadband resources work for all South Carolinians.”
“In May 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor (Henry) McMaster and the (South Carolina) General Assembly gave us specific direction to deploy $400 million of ARPA broadband resources as quickly and efficiently as possible, and we are doing exactly that,” the announcement quoted him as having said. “We are on track and have a goal to have all ARPA broadband funds – SLFRF and CPF – committed by June 2024.”
Specific communities to benefit from the latest round of funding are Norway and Ridge Spring, which the SCBBO described as “Main Street communities.”
A comprehensive map, displaying the locations of various projects for South Carolina’s ARPA CPF 1.0 Grant Program, and the ISPs associated with individual projects, can be viewed here.
