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Funding on the way for broadband expansion efforts

The Office of Regulatory Staff is granting millions to service providers to expand broadband in rural areas.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — More funding is on the way to help broadband expansion efforts in South Carolina.

The Office of Regulatory Staff has received $30 million from the South Carolina Department of Commerce and is expecting millions from the state budget to expand broadband in rural areas.

Lack of broadband access is an issue across the state, especially in rural areas.

"It’s very challenging," Kristine Schaffer, a woman in Cherokee County told News19. Schaffer can't get internet in her home and drives 30 minutes into town to get WiFi so she can work.

"I don’t understand why it’s taking so long because it’s such a necessity for families and for students," Schaffer said. "It would just be such a relief because it is kind of a burden not having it where I’m able to do things for business."

RELATED: Benedict College, UofSC, Apple and Governor partner to create internet access in 'broadband deserts'

In Newberry County, Gwen Davenport and her family were able to finally get broadband last year. She said before then, her family had to use their cell phones as hot spots to get work done.

"It’s hard, I mean it was very hard," Davenport said. Now that she had fiber cables installed, she said it has changed their lives.

"Both my husband and I had to start working from home after the start of the pandemic. So, once we got the fiber ran here through Newberry Electric Co-op, anything we could do from our office we could do from home," said Davenport.

The Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS) has an online map that shows every area in South Carolina that needs broadband. Click here to see it.

New efforts hope to bring access to underserved areas. The ORS has been granted $30 million from the Department of Commerce to expand broadband in 29 rural counties including Clarendon, Florence, Orangeburg, Newberry and Sumter Counties.

On the state level, lawmakers have proposed allocating $30 million to broadband expansion from the state budget. These funds would be used to complete projects that were started last year and will likely fund new ones too.

RELATED: $8 million project aims to bring high-speed internet to lower Richland County

"For those viewers that you have that are frustrated, I would say, you know, hang in there," said ORS Executive Director Nanette Edwards. "If you look at the federal level and look at what our State General Assembly is doing, they do hear you. They do know that broadband is a necessary service in this time."

The ORS opened bidding April 1 for broadband service providers to apply for the funding. Edwards said providers will have until mid-May to apply and expansion projects should be completed by fall of 2022.

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