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The South Carolina Broadband Office has announced a funding commitment for 17 broadband expansion projects, amounting to more than $112 million through the state’s Capital Projects Fund grant program.
A new round of broadband expansion projects in South Carolina will send grants totaling to over $112.3 million to eight internet service providers (ISPs) that plan to connect over 16,000 locations across the Palmetto State.
The news was announced by South Carolina’s Broadband Office on Dec. 18. Comments from Jim Stritzinger, the director of the state’s broadband office, were included in the state broadband office’s announcement.
“With these investments, ISPs are now penetrating hard-to-reach areas from the Lowcountry to the Upstate, and lives are changing by the day,” he said.
Funding for the grants is made possible American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) Capital Projects Fund (CPF 1.0) grant program, according to the state broadband office.
The South Carolina Broadband Office, also known as the SCBBO, said total investment for the latest round of broadband expansion, including ISP contributions, amounted to over $162 million.
The projects receiving CPF 1.0 grants must be completed by Dec. 29, 2025, the SCBBO’s Dec. 18 release stated.
Four of the grants, totaling to near $51.9 million, were awarded to Comporium, according to a Dec. 21 announcement from the company.
Comporium’s announcement said they plan to use the grant funds, along with their own private money, to expand broadband services to customers in nine South Carolina counties.
In the company’s release, Matthew Dosch, the COO of Comporium, said Comporium’s partnership with the SCBBO will allow the company to expand broadband services to thousands of additional South Carolina households.
“Completing these four projects chosen for CPF 1.0 funds will ensure that many of our rural neighbors will have access to the high-speed broadband they need,” he said.
Andrew Bateman, the Acting Executive Director of the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff, said the grants are the result of months of hard work.
“We greatly appreciate the continued participation of ISPs and support from Governor (Henry) McMaster and the (South Carolina) General Assembly as we work together to solve South Carolina’s digital divide,” he said, according to the SCBBO’s Dec. 18 release. “Without their help, such rapid internet deployment would not be possible.”
The SCBBO has provided an interactive map displaying where CPF 1.0 grant projects will occur, which can be found here, on the organization’s website.
