Hargray received $1.4M in SC grants to expand broadband in Beaufort, Jasper counties
Hargray, which provides cable television, phone and internet services in the Lowcountry area, this month received more than $1.4 million in grants intended to help the company expand broadband access in Beaufort and Jasper counties.
The internet service provider is one of 16 companies in 22 S.C. counties to receive the state funding. The S.C. Office of Regulatory Staff, in coordination with the S.C. Department of Commerce, earlier this month approved the almost $30 million to bring access to more than 23,000 households.
Hargray, and the other companies, will have to match the $30 million, according to a news release.
The state funding comes after S.C.’s need for broadband service was exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic as students learned remotely, businesses shifted to work-from-home schedules and doctors scheduled telehealth appointments.
Over 400,000 S.C. residents don’t have access to broadband internet speeds fast enough to have telehealth appointments or stream videos for classes, The State Media Co. reported. The Office of Regulatory Staff estimates $610 million in private and public money spent over five years would be needed to expand service to every household in the state.
The almost $30 million in funding has been a “long time coming” for rural portions of the state, Jasper County Council Chair Barbara Clark said in a news release.
“Having reliable access to the internet should be for all South Carolinians,” she said.
Of the $30 million, Hargray received $783,275 in Beaufort County and $635,391 in Jasper County. The company will have to provide the Office of Regulatory Staff the final construction reports by Oct. 15. All projects statewide are expected to be completed by October 2022.
“This is a huge step forward for residents of Jasper County and will provide more Internet access to more people in our community than ever before,” Jasper County Administrator Andrew Fulghum said in a news release.
Jasper County, where state officials highlighted areas in need of significant broadband upgrades, has seen a boom in economic development and infrastructure projects, including $60 million in highway improvements and the massive Jasper Ocean Terminal project.
Access to the internet “is absolutely a necessity to do business, get an education, and find vital information— expanding broadband is the first step in securing that for every South Carolinian,” said S.C. Sen. Margie Bright Matthews. “I’m proud of the strides we’ve made here in Jasper County in infrastructure and economic development, and this project will only bolster that new growth and success.”
Projects were awarded in the following counties: Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Clarendon, Chester, Chesterfield, Fairfield, Georgetown, Hampton, Jasper, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Orangeburg, and Williamsburg.
For more information about expanding broadband access in S.C., visit https://ors.sc.gov/broadband
