The S.C. Department of Commerce says rural infrastructure and broadband grants funded in 2019 are producing measurable results across 21 counties.
Based on a release from S.C. Dept. of Commerce.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Commerce announced progress on the Rural Initiative Grant and Rural Broadband Grant programs, which have funded projects in 21 counties statewide, according to S.C. Commerce.
In 2019, the South Carolina General Assembly allocated $65 million to S.C. Commerce for economic development and infrastructure improvements in qualifying rural counties, according to the department. Eligible communities were selected based on population decline, poverty rates and unemployment rates, according to S.C. Commerce.
“We are pleased to announce the incredible impacts that both the Rural Initiative Grant and Rural Broadband Grant programs are making in rural areas across our state,” said Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III, according to S.C. Commerce. “Together, these broadband and infrastructure projects are helping underserved communities build the foundation to attract new businesses, retain talent, improve quality of life and support economic resilience for decades to come.”
The Rural Initiative Grant Program funded 31 projects across the 21 designated focus and contiguous counties, according to S.C. Commerce. Projects underway include a new law enforcement center in Bamberg County, improvements to the Alcolu Technology & Industrial Park in Clarendon County, construction of a speculative industrial building in Fairfield County, a sewer system expansion in Greeleyville in Williamsburg County, and a downtown revitalization effort in Bishopville in Lee County, according to the department.
S.C. Commerce said the Clarendon County park project has since attracted Homanit’s first U.S. manufacturing operation, and the Fairfield County industrial building has since been selected as the site of Mega Metal’s first South Carolina operation.
Of the original $65 million allocation, $30 million was directed to the South Carolina Broadband Office, housed within the state’s Office of Regulatory Staff, to launch the Rural Broadband Grant Program, according to S.C. Commerce. The department said the effort responded to connectivity gaps highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic that affected remote learning, telehealth, business operations and workforce development in rural areas.
Construction under the broadband program was completed in March 2026, according to the South Carolina Broadband Office. The office reported that 2,041 miles of fiber have been built, providing 21,644 housing units with access to high-speed internet service.
The broadband grants were awarded to 17 internet service providers and covered all 21 eligible and adjacent counties, at a competitive cost of $1,386 per location, according to the South Carolina Broadband Office.
