Connect South Carolina Releases New Broadband Coverage Maps for the Statewide Broadband Initiative
May 26, 2010
Launches New Interactive Mapping App on Connect SouthCarolina Website
CHARLESTON, SC – May 26, 2010 – Connect South Carolina has launched apowerful new broadband app in the effort to bring affordable, high-speedInternet to the entire state. Available on Connect South Carolina’swebsite, www.connectsc.org,BroadbandStat is the interactive state mapping resource that puts allthe latest information on the broadband landscape directly at yourfingertips. Connect South Carolina is a subsidiary of Connected Nation and operates as a nonprofit in the state of South Carolina.
Connect South Carolina has been able to gather and verify state-specificdata on the availability, speed, location, and type of broadbandservices as well as the adoption and availability of broadband atcommunity anchor institutions across the state. The meeting of thismilestone is a result of a several-month long process of aggressiveoutreach to providers and community anchor institutions across thestate, and extensive verification and validation of the data collectedfrom these entities. These initial maps include data from 34 stateproviders, key findings include:
95.32% of South Carolina households have access to terrestrial fixedbroadband service of at least 768 Kbps downstream and 200 Kbps upstream(excluding mobile and satellite services).
4.68% of South Carolina households are unserved by a terrestrial fixedbroadband provider, representing approximately 72,000 unservedhouseholds that do not have access to a fixed wireless or wiredbroadband service offering (excluding mobile and satellite service).
With mobile broadband service included, 99.70% or 1,529,333 SouthCarolina households have access to broadband service of at least 768Kbps downstream and 200 Kbps upstream.
A public demonstration of the program’s new interactive mapping feature,BroadbandStat, was held via webinar on Friday to encourage citizenverification and to demonstrate the broadband expansion scenariobuilding that can be achieved using the tool.
Connected Nation’s GIS team will continuously refine the maps as moredata is gathered – relying upon citizen feedback as part of thevalidation process. Residents, businesses, and any interested party withknowledge of the state broadband landscape are asked to go to ConnectSouth Carolina’s website to provide input that will be used to verifyand ensure the highest level of accuracy for the broadband maps.
On Connectsc.org, those who do not currently have broadband access canadd their name and address to a secure database of households that wouldlike to subscribe if given the opportunity. The collected informationsupports the creation of the broadband inventory map that will assist inexpanding broadband delivery to residents across the state.
“We are excited to offer this interactive app to the citizens of SouthCarolina. With this new website, citizens can play an active role in thevalidation of the data and more importantly, use it as a resource tosearch provider options and draw attention to the areas that remainunserved,” explains Brian Mefford, CEO of Connect South Carolina’sparent organization, Connected Nation. “The goal of our nonprofitorganization is to expand broadband access to areas where it doesn’texist and improve the quality of service in areas that are alreadyserved. South Carolina’s newly completed map is the first major step inthis process.”
As the designated entity for broadband mapping and planning in the stateof South Carolina, Connect South Carolina is a public-privatepartnership uniting local governments, businesses, and citizens in thegoal of increasing broadband service in the state’s unserved andunderserved areas.
In December 2009, Connect South Carolina was awarded $1.7 million inRecovery Act funding in an effort to increase the availability and useof high-speed Internet service in the state. The funding enables thestate to collect data to develop and maintain a detailed map of existingbroadband service over two years and conduct planning efforts for aperiod of five years.
These efforts are in compliance with the U.S. Department of Commerce’sNational Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Notice ofFunding Availability (NOFA) for the State Broadband Data and Developmentgrant program (SBDD). Ultimately, these data will populate thecomprehensive, interactive, and searchable national broadband map thatNTIA is required by the Recovery Act to create and make publiclyavailable by February 17, 2011.
About Connect South Carolina:
Connect South Carolina is a subsidiary of Connected Nation andoperates as a nonprofit in the state of South Carolina. The state ofSouth Carolina is leading the initiative to increase broadband Internetaccess throughout South Carolina. Connect South Carolina wascommissioned by the Governor’s Office to work with all broadbandproviders in the state of South Carolina to create detailed maps ofbroadband coverage in order to accurately pinpoint remaining gaps inbroadband availability in South Carolina. www.connectsc.org.
