Comporium, York Electric Share South Carolina Grant

July 22, 2024 – Rural Broadband provider Comporium gave a portion of its grant from the South Carolina Broadband Office to York Electric Cooperative to  support extending gigabit Internet to underserved areas in York and Cherokee Counties.

Comporium said that the funds, nearly $1.1 million, will reimburse “YEC for a part of its material and labor costs to extend gigabit Internet service to underserved areas of YEC’s York and Cherokee County footprint.”

Comporium provides a range of services including broadband, television, voice, wireless, smart home systems, and advertising throughout the Carolinas. York Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit electric utility serving approximately 70,000 members across several South Carolina counties.

“The need for reliable high-speed Internet in rural areas became obvious during the COVID-19 pandemic. YEC partnered with Comporium to address this challenge and extend fiber optics to unserved members,” said the press release. 

The $16 million project partnership installed nearly 600 miles of fiber, providing high-speed Internet to over 5,000 members, between December 2020 and June 2023. This expansion facilitates access to remote work, online education, telehealth, and the gig economy. 

The investment comes from South Carolina’s Accelerated Deployment Grant Program, which is funded by the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. It seeks to compensate providers for a portion of internet construction costs for the expansion of broadband infrastructure to unserved locations of the state.