Demand SC Legislators Fully Fund Rural Broadband Expansion Across the State

Governor Henry McMaster, Lt. Governor Pamela Evette, President of the Senate Harvey S. Peeler Jr., Speaker of the House, Jay Lucas

Did You Know: Half a million South Carolina residents and over 100,000 families lack any internet access. The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for expanded broadband access in rural areas across South Carolina. If we do not demand full funding for rural broadband, rural  communities will find at a tremendous disadvantage when it comes to education, access to jobs and healthcare information.

As more aspects of our everyday lives are pushed online, lack of affordable, high speed access becomes an even greater setback to educators, students and parents. While most families are heavily weighing the decision to return to school in the fall, we must acknowledge virtual learning is not a viable option, for those at risk for COVID-19, who cannot learn virtually simply because their community lacks sufficient broadband penetration.


At the federal level, Majority Whip Congressman Clyburn introduced the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act. This legislation will:

  • Encourage Universal Broadband Access
  • Ensure Internet Affordability
  • Promote Internet Adoption

On the state level, the Broadband Accessibility Act will increase broadband access by:

  • Encouraging electric co-ops to run broadband along existing electric lines and offer high-speed internet
  • Partnership with private businesses to finance and build additional necessary lines



“It is my hope that we conquer that divide between rural and urban, which a lot of times has to do with social-economic areas as well. I think that what we have to do is understand there's approximately 193,000 homes in South Carolina that does not have broadband. We got to make sure that we can end up having enough capacity to end up making it greater than the 25mb download, 3mb upload, to end up getting it where it's in the modern day times.” -

Sen. Gerald Malloy (SC-29)

To: Governor Henry McMaster, Lt. Governor Pamela Evette, President of the Senate Harvey S. Peeler Jr., Speaker of the House, Jay Lucas
From: [Your Name]

Half a million South Carolina residents and over 100,000 families lack any internet access. Broadband access is a barrier to education and health information for these residents and their children. The socio-economic divide between rural and urban areas is widened by the lack of internet access.
As more aspects of our everyday lives are pushed online, lack of broadband access becomes an even greater setback to these rural communities. While students and parents are weighing the decision to return to school in the fall, we must acknowledge many students cannot learn virtually simply because their community lacks sufficient broadband penetration.
We are demanding broadband expansion be fully funded across the state in order to connect these households and rural communities.
In order to achieve this, South Carolina lawmakers must increase funding to make broadband access a reality for rural communities. #SCdeservesbetter