FTC has been awarded more than $19.5 million in grant funding to help expand its fiber network to make broadband more accessible across its five counties, the South Carolina Broadband Office announced recently.
FTC’s grant of $19,526,812 was part of nearly $112.3 million awarded through the SCBBO’s ARPA CPF 1.0 program. (American Rescue Plan Act, Capital Projects Fund 1.0). The program is part of a matching funds initiative designed to assist internet service providers in providing broadband to unserved households across the state.
FTC will utilize the funds to deploy fiber to areas of Clarendon, lower Florence, Lee, Sumter and Williamsburg counties. This investment in fiber will effectively “future proof” the network allowing for the fastest possible data speeds, low latency, and an even more reliable network.
All of the projects included under the grants must be completed by Dec. 29, 2025.
“We are excited about this funding and how it will expand our fiber network and enhance the lives of those in our service area,” said FTC Chief Executive Officer Jay Brown. “We are working toward the goal of providing a fiber connection to our membership and these funds will help the Cooperative meet this objective. With the need for more bandwidth continuously growing, many of the people in these areas would be limited in how they could utilize technology; that will not be the case when these projects are completed.”
Broadband will allow residents to enhance their lives through telemedicine, distance learning, working from home, job searches, ecommerce opportunities, entertainment, and managing smart devices in the home. This list will continue to grow as more technologies and applications become available.
FTC is one of eight Internet Service Providers across the state receiving funding for 17 projects projected to reach 16,000 locations. FTC, with four approved projects, will be getting fiber to more than 3,000 homes and businesses. Maps showing where the funds will be invested across South Carolina can be found at tinyurl.com/4asncs56.
“These grants are the culmination of months of hard work, and we greatly appreciate the continued participation of ISPs and support from Governor McMaster and the General Assembly as we work together to solve South Carolina’s digital divide,” said Andrew Bateman, acting executive director of the S.C. Office of Regulatory Staff. “Without their help, such rapid internet deployment would not be possible.”
“We are incredibly excited about this first phase of CPF investments in South Carolina,” said Jim Stritzinger, the director of the S.C. Broadband Office. “In early 2024, we anticipate completing our CPF decisions and gearing up for the final set of ARPA investments. With these investments, ISPs are now penetrating hard-to-reach areas from the Lowcountry to the Upstate, and lives are changing by the day!”
“Even before these funds were awarded, we were continuing to expand our fiber network,” Brown said. “A fiber connection is the future, which is why FTC started its fiber to the premise construction project over four years ago.”
These projects do take time and construction crews are working diligently to complete them as soon as possible. So, we ask for everyone’s continued patience as we focus on these life- changing endeavors.”
For more information go to ors.sc.gov/broadband.
