South Carolina's Bipartisan Efforts on the 'Next, Next Greatest Thing'

In 2021, the South Carolina General Assembly established the Office of Broadband Coordinator within the Office of Regulatory Staff to serve as the central broadband planning body for the state and to coordinate with federal, state, regional, local, and private entities to encourage the continued development of access to broadband in the Palmetto State. The office was charged with convening a collaborative stakeholder process to identify challenges to expediting broadband access—and so it established the Broadband Advisory Council to help guide broadband planning in South Carolina. The council includes representatives from government, education, health, economic development, nonprofits, and broadband providers. The 2021 law also directed the office to prioritize funding broadband infrastructure projects to rural communities and communities with a lack of access to broadband, making high-speed broadband available to homes, businesses, schools, health care facilities, and other institutions in unserved areas across South Carolina.