Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Anderson County is joining Upcountry Fiber (a partnership between Blue Ridge Electric and West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperatives) to bring high-speed broadband fiber internet to underserved/unserved areas of the county.
Close to 20 percent of Anderson County currently has no or limited access to high-speed internet connections.
A study conducted by Palmetto Engineering helped identify areas where help is needed, and the new partnership will install more thanb 2,800 miles of fiber to complete the $175 million project.
Much of the cost will be paid for by infrastrucure funding from state and federal COVID relief funds.
The pandemic, which led to schools shifting to online instruction and many workers in Anderson County working from home, exposed how serious the need it for making service available to all citizens.
Some areas, including large parts of La France, currently have no options for useful internet connections.
"It's like electricity and water," said Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns. "High-speed internet is now a utility just like those, one Anderson County citizens cannot do without."
The county and its partners will debut the new program Friday at 11 a.m. at the Anderson County Civic Center.
County officials will be joined by Jim Lovinggood, President and CEO, Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative, Inc.; Jeff Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative; George Wyatt, CEO, Founder & Principal, Palmetto Engineering & Consulting; and Mark Williamson, Chief Information Officer, Anderson County.