Staff Report
Published Feb. 8, 2010

The S.C. Technical College System has been awarded a $5.9 million grant by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration to increase access to and use of broadband across the state.

The grant will fund S.C. Ready to Educate, Activate, Connect and provide Health Information for Success initiative, also called S.C. Reach for Success.

The S.C. Reach for Success colleges and partners will work together to implement a three-pronged approach to expansion of broadband access and use in South Carolina:

• Establish a statewide network of public computer centers. Partner colleges with service areas that include rural and underserved populations will open 19 new and 51 existing centers to the general public.
• Increase bandwidth and expand access for credit and continuing education students. The nearly 250,000 students of the S.C. Technical College System, many of whom are socially and economically disadvantaged, are a key target population for this project.
• Establish a public awareness campaign and training opportunities. The public awareness campaign will include a variety of radio and print marketing tools. Project staff members will develop and offer in-person workshops and online training opportunities. Project partners will assist in dissemination of information to target populations.

The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act appropriated $7.2 billion and directed the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service and the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications Information Administration to expand broadband access to rural communities across the United States, increase jobs, spur investments in technology and infrastructure and provide long-term economic benefits.