In rural South Carolina, a groundbreaking broadband project takes root

In Allendale (SC), a local public Wi-Fi network project has expanded to offer residential broadband service for families with school-age children, many of whom have struggled to keep up with school throughout the pandemic because they cannot participate in online learning. Allendale’s situation prior to implementation of the new program wasn’t unique; it persists throughout rural Southern communities, especially poorer areas with larger Black populations. Without efforts to expand broadband in Black communities in the South, “the worst-case scenario is that we’ll continue to see the negative implications of not being connected,” said Dominique Harrison, technology policy director at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Rural broadband is a priority in Washington for both Democrats and Republicans, but it’s Democrats such as House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC), whose district includes Allendale, currently pushing for a massive increase in funding designed to enable grassroots, community-driven broadband projects.