Governor, congressman reach across political divide to bring broadband access to rural SC.

• Position: Henry McMaster and James E. Clyburn

The Republican governor of South Carolina and one of the state's longest-serving Democratic congressmen got together today to announce GetConnectedSC, a high-speed internet access and adoption campaign to bring service to areas of the state that have lagged behind advances elsewhere.

Gov. Henry McMaster and Congressman James E. Clyburn were joined by officials from the S.C. Office of Regulatory Staff's Broadband Office and the S.C. Department of Administration's Digital Equity Office to announceGetConnectedSC. They said in a news release that access to high-speed internet will transform how South Carolinians engage with the online world.

"The creation of the 'GetConnectedSC' campaign is the next logical step as we work to roll-out high-speed internet statewide," Jim Stritzinger, director of the SC Broadband Office, aid in the release."We have a lot of momentum deploying infrastructure; however, that is just the first step. We need to help residents with affordability and the attainment of digital skills too. That's where the SCDEO comes in."

Thecampaign is designed to identify the areas of greatest need in the state, invest in broadband infrastructure to those areas and provide support services to make that transformation possible for every home, business and community organization in South Carolina, according to the news release.

In addition to a new website, the campaign includes a 26-community listening tour and a Better-Internet Survey. The survey is designed to capture the barriers to internet adoption of unserved, underserved and underrepresented communities statewide. Information gathered will shape a five-year broadband plan.

The initiative is part of a nationwide effort to improve broadband access, the release said. In 2021, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included $65...