COLUMBIA, SC — The South Carolina Broadband Office (SCBBO) is pleased to announce the conclusion of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Capital Projects Fund (CPF) 1.0 Grant Program. In addition to those projects that were announced on December 18, 2023 and January 31, 2024, the SCBBO recently awarded 16 additional projects totaling $71.5 million, which completes the deployment of South Carolina’s CPF allocation of $185,121,662. 

Taken collectively, the ARPA CPF 1.0 funds were awarded to 15 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for 34 projects; the funds will positively impact 41 counties and will transform the Main Street communities of Norway and Ridge Spring, SC.  The total project cost for this round is estimated to be $290,246,872. This amount reflects an overall match rate of 36% non-ARPA funds (other federal and/or private investment), in addition to the ARPA funds provided by the SCBBO.

“It has taken incredible SCBBO teamwork and lots of collaboration with our ISPs to reach this amazing milestone in South Carolina,” said Jim Stritzinger, Director of the SCBBO.  “I am incredibly grateful to all involved. This vast collection of CPF projects will provide high-speed internet access to homes and businesses across 41 counties.”

All ARPA CPF 1.0 grants are required to be complete by December 29, 2025.  When finished, ISPs in South Carolina will have constructed over 4,200 additional miles of fiber providing high-speed internet access to at least 33,662 housing units and 3,951 businesses. A comprehensive, interactive map of all CPF grant awards is available here. More information can be found at ors.sc.gov/broadband.

Now that CPF investments are complete, the SCBBO is pleased to announce the final grant program based upon the ARPA State & Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF).

Designated ARPA SLFRF 3.0, this new program will be the final tranche of ARPA broadband investments in South Carolina and is estimated to be approximately $40 million. The program will deploy all remaining SLFRF broadband funds and maintain priority focus on unserved census blocks 1) with large numbers of K-12 students, 2) that are in difficult development areas, or 3) that are without an ISP.

“The complete deployment of CPF funds and today’s announcement regarding ARPA SLFRF 3.0 represent our aggressive approach to making broadband resources work for all South Carolinians,” noted Andrew Bateman, Acting Executive Director of the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff. “In May 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor McMaster and the SC General Assembly gave us specific direction to deploy $400 million of ARPA broadband resources as quickly and efficiently as possible, and we are doing exactly that. We are on track and have a goal to have all ARPA broadband funds – SLFRF and CPF – committed by June 2024.”

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The SCBBO is housed within the state’s Office of Regulatory Staff.  It serves as the central broadband planning body to coordinate with federal, state, regional, local, and private entities, to the extent practicable, to engage in the continued deployment of broadband in the state.