CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) – The state of South Carolina is making it easier for the public to see where high-speed broadband internet is – and is not – available.
Officials say the South Carolina Broadband Map shows the availability of the broadband service for all homes and businesses in the state.
The idea is to have a map of South Carolina where you can see all the structures that may have broadband. Office of Regulatory Staff employees took this and then matched it with data provided by broadband providers that show where they really are.
“So, you can see, ‘ok, well, this is where we should be going,'” said ORS Executive Director Nanette Edwards. “It helps the leadership in the state to recognize, ‘Okay, how much more will it cost because, of course, cost is an important issue in terms of how farther you are, the more expensive it is to put that fiber.”
Edwards explains that the purpose of the map is to identify and prioritize communities in the state where limited access to broadband has prevented the provision of distance learning, teleworking and telehealth.
This project costs about $ 300,000 and Edwards says it was funded by part of the Coronavirus Relief Fund.
This map comes at a time when broadband companies have been working to install fiber to provide high-speed Internet access to more South Carolina residents.
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