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South Carolina’s Broadband Office is celebrating the successful completion of ARPA grant programs that funded nearly 130 broadband projects in the state.
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
Officials in South Carolina have announced the conclusion of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant programs, which have led to enhanced or expanded access for 112,380 unserved or underserved locations across the Palmetto State.
In total, the four rounds of ARPA grants awarded by the South Carolina Broadband Office (SCBBO) went to 19 ISPs for 129 projects, according to a release from the SCBBO marking the end of the grant programs.
According to the state’s broadband office, the $399,331,884 deployed across all funding rounds was matched by $263,059,123 from the private sector. The grant programs resulted in an over $663 million investment in broadband across South Carolina, according to SCBBO’s website.
In comments provided to the media, Jim Stritzinger, the director of the SCBBO, said it was an incredible feeling to reach the historic milestone for the state.
“With an expert team, we’ve moved quickly, and with great precision, as we’ve deployed every dollar of ARPA funding,” he said. “Our ‘agile’ methodology for fund deployment has worked extremely well, and we are grateful for the close collaboration with the ISPs that work so hard daily to keep our homes and businesses connected.”
A map published by the SCBBO online reveals the geographic areas where broadband projects were funded.
According to the SCBBO, the funding benefitted “all 46 counties and is currently transforming the Main Street communities of Norway and Ridge Spring.”
The four rounds of funding associated with South Carolina’s APRA broadband programs “will have fueled the construction of approximately 13,250 miles of fiber,” according to the office’s announcement.
With ARPA program investments completed, the SCBBO’s June 28 release stated that the office is now focused on receiving approval from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration for the state’s Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program proposal.
Upon approval, an additional $546.5 million of broadband infrastructure funding will be unlocked for South Carolina, according to the SCBBO’s release.
The SCBBO has published a full list of APRA program recipients available online, at the office’s website.
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