Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Anderson County announced a partnership with Upcountry Fiber on Friday to provide high-speed broadband to areas of the county which are unserved or underserved.
Upcountry Fiber, an internet service provider created by utility cooperatives Blue Ridge Electric Co-op (BREC) and West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative (WCTEL) will provide more than 2,800 miles of high-speed fiber internet access to those areas of Anderson County currently in need of the service. A projected $175 million will be needed, which will be paid by federal and state infrastructure funds, to complete the project.
More than a third of the county currently lacks high-speed broadband, according to Anderson County Chief Communications Officer Mark Williamson.
“We are proud to partner with Upcountry Fiber to bring a better quality of life and economic competitiveness to Anderson County through broadband internet access,” said Williamson. “This project will advance with the speed of the funding that can be appropriated by our elected officials at the federal, state and local level, as well as investment from Upcountry Fiber. We look forward to the next step of beginning construction.”
The pandemic over the past two years emphasized the need for schools and businesses to have reliable broadband to complete tasks at home.
Upcountry Fiber had already planned to expand its service to the La France/Pendleton, Piercetown and Townville areas in 2022 as a part of its existing broadband rollout strategy.
Local superintendents, council leaders, state leaders, partners and others talk about the new venture in this video.