Rural Greenville, Spartanburg homes: SC aims to connect all to high-speed internet by 2026

Millions of dollars are planned to provide high-speed internet service for 137,000 rural households in South Carolina by 2026.

The goal is to have only 74,000 households remaining without access by the end of 2024, and close to zero by 2026, according to Jim Stritzinger, director of the South Carolina Broadband Office.

"When we launched the Broadband Office in July 2021, we set a goal to make investments to connect most homes in three years, recognizing an additional two years due to construction," he said. "We are on track to meet that deadline."

Broadband Service Is broadband available near you? This updated FCC map can tell you. Maybe.

While there are 2.5 million households across the state with high-speed access, mostly in metropolitan areas, many rural counties still have no access.

Spartanburg County Council members Bob Walker, Jessica Coker and Justin McCorkle all represent rural parts of the county that have homes with no internet access.

Rural areas still without broadband UPSTATE LOWDOWN: Parts of Spartanburg County still without high-speed internet

"Growing up in rural Spartanburg, I know how difficult it was to conduct schoolwork without the internet," Coker said. "Today it is 10 times more difficult as E-learning has become the standard. We must do better. It is critical to a flourishing economy."

McCorkle said in addition to schoolchildren who need high-speed internet and Wi-Fi, farmers are evermore reliant on data from the internet.

"Reliable, affordable broadband access is no longer simply for entertainment," he said. "It's a benefit that our residents deserve to have access to. I feel like the funds allocated are an enormous step in the right direction."

SC has low broadband rates SC has one of the lowest broadband rates for low-income households. Here's what to know.

High-speed internet stretching into underserved areas of the Upstate

In Spartanburg County, 144,000 households have high-speed internet while 5,946 homes do not. The homes are located mostly in the Landrum-Campobello area, south of Highway 417 between Reidville and Woodruff.

In Greenville County, nearly 234,000 households have high-speed internet access, while 5,796 homes do not. The homes are mostly near Caesars Head State Park and north of Highway 414 in northern Greenville County, and south of Highway 418 in southern Greenville County.

Upstate counties to get broadband Thousands in the Upstate could see faster Internet with $150 million rural broadband effort

In Anderson County, more than 97,000 homes have high-speed internet access, while about 3,000 homes do not. The homes are mostly located between Old Greenville Highway and Interstate 85 in northern Anderson County, between Williamston and Honea Path, and around Highway 413 in southern Anderson County.

What is high-speed internet?

Broadband is the transmission of data over a high-speed internet connection, allowing for high-quality and quick access to information.

In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), declared that 25 Mbps (megabits per second) download speed with 3 Mbps upload speed is considered basic “high speed” internet. A 25 Mbps connection allows for basic internet activity, such as 1080p HD video streaming. Larger households and more devices require a faster speed. That is the guideline South Carolina uses to define high-speed internet, Stritzinger said.

However, Stritzinger said many internet service providers consider anything less than 100 Mbps and 20 Mbps upload speed as inadequate to handle multiple devices. Several providers offer household connections with speeds ranging from 300 Mbps to 2 gigabits and higher.

Why is high-speed internet important?

"From education to health care to social interaction, work and play, high-speed capability is critical to thriving in the modern world," according to GetConnectedSC, an initiative of the S.C. Office of Regulatory Staff. Examples include keeping in touch with friends and relatives, watching movies, listening to music, running a home-based business, accessing health care and completing school assignments.

"It's life-changing," Stritzinger said. "We've talked to folks from having nothing to having connectivity who say it's completely different. In some cases, we've connected a whole community."

How much does internet expansion cost in South Carolina?

In 2020, the state used $50 million from its $1.9 billion CARES Act federal funding for broadband-related projects. One of the projects included mapping and planning coverage gaps.

Stritzinger said in 2021, the state allocated $40 million for broadband expansion, and in May 2022 the state approved $400 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for broadband.

In March 2023, the federal government approved $185.8 million in ARPA funds for broadband infrastructure to connect 31,000 households and businesses to high-speed internet access – representing 23% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access.

Stritzinger said in June South Carolina is expecting to receive $700 million in federal funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that Congress approved in November 2021.

For low-income consumers, the federal Affordable Connectivity Program provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.

In March 2022, Spartanburg County Council authorized the use of $4.5 million in federal CARES Act funding to lay 300 miles of new fiber optic line with speeds of at least 100 Mbps to provide access for up to 4,000 homes in rural parts of the county.

What is Lumos Fiber doing in Spartanburg County?

In March 2023, internet provider Lumos Fiber of High Point, North Carolina announced it will invest $60 million to bring 706 miles of fiber optic internet service with minimum speeds of 100 Mbps to Spartanburg, Cowpens, Duncan, Lyman, Greer and Wellford.

"Lumos' initial investment in Spartanburg County will not cover 100% of the county's population, however, we hope to be able to expand to more communities across the Upstate region of South Carolina over time," Derek Kelly, vice president of market development for Lumos Fiber, said in an email response to the Herald-Journal.

"As the first fiber provider for these families and small businesses, Lumos' service will remove the lagging and slow speeds Spartanburg residents and businesses are currently subject to."

South Carolinians urged to take statewide online survey

GetConnected SC is part of a nationwide effort to improve broadband access. It is designed to identify the areas of greatest broadband need for investment.

A series of listening tour meetings are being held across the state to gather input. Residents unable to make the meetings are urged to take an online survey.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Rural Greenville, Spartanburg: SC aims for high-speed internet for all