Comporium secures $51.9M in grants to advance SC rural broadband service reach
Comporium is hot on a new broadband expansion trail, having secured four grants from the South Carolina Broadband Office (SCBBO) totaling $51.9 million.
The service provider will use these grants and capital to bring fiber broadband services to customers in nine SC counties in a project it estimates will cost nearly $78 million. The new broadband project will connect 6,610 addresses with 1 Gbps speed services upon completion.
Matthew Dosch, VP and COO for Comporium, said the SCBBO’s grant enabled it to make fiber broadband available to more rural SC residents and businesses.
“Because of our continued partnership with The South Carolina Broadband Office, we can bring advanced fiber optic technology to thousands of additional South Carolina households,” he said. “Completing these four projects chosen for CPF 1.0 funds will ensure that many of our rural neighbors will have access to the high-speed broadband they need.”
Comporium is one of eight ISPs awarded grants by the SCBBO. This round of projects will connect over 16,000 addresses across South Carolina. All projects receiving CPF 1.0 grant funding must be completed by December 29, 2025. The SCBBO estimates that the eight ISPs will collectively invest more than $162 million in South Carolina’s broadband infrastructure over the next two years.
“In early 2024, we anticipate completing our CPF decisions and gearing up for the final set of ARPA investments,” said Jim Stritzinger, director of the SC Broadband Office. “With these investments, ISPs are now penetrating hard-to-reach areas from the Lowcountry to the Upstate, and lives are changing by the day!”
As part of its efforts to promote digital equity across all its service areas, Comporium participates in the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program. This income-based federal program allows eligible homes to get a $30 discount off regular monthly rates for internet service.
South Carolina Broadband Office (SCBBO) awards $112M to expand rural broadband
The South Carolina Broadband Office (SCBBO) is funding 17 fiber network projects through its American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) Capital Projects Fund (CPF 1.0) grant program. It awarded more than $112 million statewide.
Among the eight service providers that were awarded funding are:
· Comporium
· Carolina Connect Cooperative
· Farmers Telephone Cooperative
· Home Telephone Company
· Horry Telephone Cooperative
· Palmetto Telephone Communications
· Sandhill Telephone Cooperative
· WC Fiber
About the Author
Sean BuckleySean Buckley
Sean is the Editor-in-Chief of Lightwave. He establishes and executes Lightwave's editorial strategy across its website, email newsletters, events, and other information products. Before coming to Lightwave in July 2023, he served as editor of Broadband Communities. Earlier, he served as senior editor of FierceTelecom and the editor of the former Telecommunications Magazine. He got his start in the optical industry in 1998 when he became the editor of enterprise and optical networks at Information Gatekeepers. He has a BA in English from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and lives in Dracut, Mass, with his wife, two sons, and his cat, Dove.
