South Carolina Completes Historic $400 Million American Rescue Plan Commitment to Connect Over 112,380 Locations

The South Carolina Broadband Office (SCBBO) announced the historic conclusion of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant programs that have resulted in the commitment of $400 million to expand high-speed internet access to over 112,380 unserved or underserved Broadband Serviceable Locations (BSLs) statewide. The 25-month process was initiated on May 13, 2022, when Governor Henry McMaster (R-SC) signed Act 244 into law, which allocated ARPA funding to a variety of state agencies—including $400 million to the SC Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS, home to the SCBBO) to expand broadband infrastructure. Overall, it took four grant rounds to achieve this result. The SCBBO signed the final agreement of its ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 3.0 competitive grant program that – in total – awarded the remaining $43,333,179.32 to 12 different Internet Service Providers (ISPs), across 23 projects in 30 counties. These final projects, together with private-sector match, represent a total project cost of $82,504,557 that will deploy approximately 1,684 miles of fiber and connect 21,253 BSLs. Across the four grant rounds, the SCBBO deployed $399,331,884 (99.8%) for infrastructure and utilized less than 1% for non-infrastructure expenses. When combined with $263,059,123 in private-sector match, the SCBBO’s ARPA programs resulted in an estimated $663,059,112 broadband infrastructure investment for South Carolina. This amount reflects an overall match rate of 39.7% non-ARPA funds (other federal and/or private investment), in addition to the ARPA funds provided by the SCBBO. Taken collectively, ARPA broadband funds were awarded to 19 ISPs for 129 projects. The funding positively impacts all 46 counties and is currently transforming the Main Street communities of Norway and Ridge Spring, SC. When complete, ARPA funds will have fueled the construction of approximately 13,250 miles of fiber to over 112,380 BSLs. In addition to receiving ARPA grant funds, all recipients are required propose and commit to affordable monthly rates – without income qualifications – for a designated number of years following construction completion. Based on the rates proposed by ISPs, affordable rates in the SCBBO’s grant program range from $29.95 to $85.00 at minimum speeds of 100/20 Mbps. Further, many grant recipients have also pledged to offer free Wi-Fi in designated areas, and some are offering digital-skills training.