BEAD Scope Reduced, 50 Percent Agreements Signed

The South Carolina Broadband Office announced that eight of the original sixteen projects approved in its Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment Final Proposal were able to be funded with existing, non-BEAD resources. In addition, four of eight remaining BEAD agreements have been signed, and construction should soon be underway. This accomplishment comes on the heels of completing investments of $400 million American Rescue Plan Act funds. In total, prior to the BEAD program, the SCBBO has funded 277 projects since inception, and 231 are complete. Due to the financially conservative, successful execution of South Carolina’s Internet Service Providers on ARPA projects, nearly 70% have finished under budget and/or ahead of the federal December 31, 2026 deadline. The remainder of ARPA projects are also on track for 2026 completion. As a result, the SCBBO was able to reduce the scope of BEAD investments by utilizing existing, non-BEAD resources. Only 19,022 Broadband Serviceable Locations remain in the BEAD program. After scope reduction, the eight remaining ISPs will utilize only $35,801,620 of BEAD funds to resolve South Carolina’s digital divide. The remaining BEAD-eligible BSLs represent 15,132 residential, 3,659 business, and 231 community anchor locations. Broadband deployment for these remaining locations is expected to begin in late 2026 after environmental permits are issued.