Internet Access in South Carolina

When compared to the other states in the US, South Carolina comes in 31st for broadband access. While some counties within the state have strong high-speed coverage, a number of areas still fall short on sufficient access and speed. 125.0 Mbps is the average download speed, state-wide. According to user test data, this is similar to the average speeds of Wisconsin, Utah, and Oregon.

The “digital divide” is a term used to quantify the gulf between people who have reliable access to the internet and those who do not. 91.5% of South Carolinians have access to a 25 Mbps broadband connection, meaning 344,000 people do not have access to this. It should also be noted that there are 552,000 people who currently only have access to one provider, making it impossible for them to switch, even though there are in fact 116 providers across the state. In addition, 171,000 people do not have access to a wired connection at all.

52.4% of the people of South Carolina have access to a low-priced ($60/month or less) plan, which at least is higher than the national average of 51.5%.

Greenville come in first as the most connected town in the state. Not far behind were the towns of Columbia, Charleston, North Myrtle Beach, and Mauldin. These towns enjoy good prices, coverage and speeds.

Across the digital divide lay Peak, Tatum, Horatio, Luray, and Cordesville as the lowest-ranking states in terms of internet coverage, pricing and speeds.

Since 2010, close to $4 million has been granted to the Connect South Carolina program to stimulate broadband development and data collection within unserved areas. An additional $9,604,840 has been given towards expanding broadband infrastructure.

Lately, $9.1 million has been invested by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) into providing broadband services for rural South Carolina communities. The USDA states that the investment is “expected to cover an 81-square-mile area that includes 6,251 rural households, 24 farms, 15 businesses, four critical community facilities, three educational facilities, and a health care center.