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South Carolina briefing

South Carolina BEAD: 50% Scope Cut Briefing

What 19,022 remaining locations mean for municipal Wi-Fi.

Anaptyx CivicConnect | Kenneth Carnesi | BEAD: Unlocking the Future | Myrtle Beach, SC

SCBBO briefing:

New scope: $35.8M for 19,022 BSLs (<1% statewide)

8 of 16 original projects moved to non-BEAD funding.

19,022 BSLs remain:

  • 15,132 Residential
  • 3,659 Business
  • 231 Community Anchor

8 ISPs remaining: 4 agreements signed: ZITEL, TruVista, BellSouth, Comcast.

Timeline: Late 2026 start (after permits), complete by 2030.

Source: SC Broadband Office / ORS.

Why it happened

SC funded 277 broadband projects since 2021 ($400M ARPA).

  • 231 complete (83%)
  • 70% under budget / ahead of Dec 31, 2026 deadline

Fiscal conservatism allowed BEAD scope reduction.

SC now only state where rural broadband outperforms urban (Ookla Research).

Explore the interactive broadband map

South Carolina Broadband Office

The CivicConnect Opportunity

  1. BEAD got us to the doorstep, not downtown. BEAD covers homes and businesses. It does not cover parks, Main Streets, boardwalks, beach access, parking lots, and event venues where residents and tourists gather. That's the municipal gap.
  2. Less than 1% left = shift from access to adoption. With wireline 99%+ complete, cities can focus on affordability and use. Public Wi-Fi in libraries, community centers, rec fields, and transit hubs turns those 231 anchor locations into digital on-ramps.
  3. ARPA proved SC delivers under budget, so can cities. The same fiscal discipline that freed $35.8M makes CivicConnect attractive: shared infrastructure, no ISP overbuild, leverages existing fiber from 277 projects.
  4. Tourism economy needs tourism Wi-Fi. For Myrtle Beach and coastal cities, visitors don't benefit from BEAD to a residence. Secure Wi-Fi on the Boardwalk and municipal lots increases dwell time, supports public safety cameras, and provides anonymized foot-traffic analytics.
  5. The 2026-2030 gap is your window. BEAD won't start until late 2026. Cities deploying municipal Wi-Fi now demonstrate digital equity progress and can tap remaining non-BEAD funds SCBBO is reinvesting from under-budget ARPA projects.

“South Carolina proved wireline wins. Now let's prove the last 100 feet matters. CivicConnect lets you light up what BEAD can't: public spaces, on infrastructure you already paid for. No new ISP, no taxpayer overbuild, just community Wi-Fi that drives economic development.”

Anaptyx CivicConnect Team | Myrtle Beach, SC

Source: SCBBO Press Release, June 30, 2026.

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