Beaufort County issued the following announcement on February 28.
Beaufort County is working hard with our partners on expanding Broadband across the County. The Federal Infrastructure bill, America Rescue Plan Act, State and Local initiatives coupled with local service providers like Hargray Communications, will transform broadband within the County.
“It is an exciting time for Beaufort County,” said Patrick Hill, Assistant County Administrator Communications and Information Technology. “Residents in all areas, especially rural and older communities, will be wired into the commerce and educational resources of the internet.”
Hargray Communications has been a leader in working with local governments to identify gaps in broadband coverage. The company has launched the program Broadband for Everyone specifically set up to run fiber to these areas.
“Beaufort County’s Broadband Everywhere project perfectly aligned with Hargray’s purpose to empower people and communities to connect and thrive,” said Rich Knoll, Director of Business Sales. “We are thrilled to have donated to Beaufort County’s goal to ensure Internet services to its community. It’s very meaningful for Hargray to be a part of Broadband Everywhere.”
Mr. Knoll will be on hand at Monday’s County Council meeting at Hilton Head High School for a check presentation.
The money is proposed to be used on St. Helena Island and Big Estate Rd in Sheldon.
Help fill the gaps
As Beaufort County continues to work with local broadband services providers to expand coverage to underserved areas, the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS) conducts a broadband internet survey.
The data collected through this survey will assist ORS in determining the need for residential high-speed, fiber-based internet in and around the community. Participating in this survey is very important for the residents of Beaufort County because the State legislature will be allocating funding to counties based on the survey results. The more Beaufort County residents take the survey, the more excellent the opportunity for funding the County’s underserved areas.
If you know residents without high-speed internet, they can use local libraries to fill out the survey.
The survey takes about 15 minutes, and participants must be 18 years of age or older to complete it. Visit https://bit.ly/ineedinternet
By completing this short survey, you can help bring funds to our area for broadband expansion. Just a few minutes of your time could help impact students, teachers, and all citizens in Beaufort County.
The upcoming funding will be based on new maps that will update on March 1st based on information currently being collected. Increased funding will be available statewide in April. These funds will be grants made available directly to the Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
Please use and share the following link (“I Need Internet” survey) to help provide as much data as possible to the State so that Beaufort County can receive assistance in this cause.
Original source can be found here.
