ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Orangeburg County is hoping to become more connected. It’s one of the largest rural areas in South Carolina, and with that size comes a lack of broadband.
In 2019, the United States Department of Agriculture awarded the County a grant of $9.75 million dollars to expand connectivity to an extra 10,000 people.
The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the problem, with students being forced to learn from home with online schooling, and county officials say it is important to find additional ways to bring residents up to speed.
"Were applying for EDA funding to expand broadband capabilities on the western end of the county to go along with our overall footprint of broadband," says Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young. "Tri-County Electric has already approved and committed to a three-year build out of broadband in the entire service area in the county, so that’s another chunk."
Some of the areas that are expected to see an expansion of wireless capacity include the towns of North, Santee and Elloree but the county says it won’t happen overnight.
"If Orangeburg County receives the funding that they put in, we would be able to build that out within a year's time of that money to be awarded," says Young. "We're 1,100 square miles long, and we still have a long way to go. This will help a significant chunk, and any child we can serve today is a help for their future tomorrow. So, we will do as much as we can and as fast as we can."