Technical Assistance:

Connect South Carolina will conduct county-level research in the second year of the program and state level research in the third, fourth, and fifth years to identify and track the barriers to broadband access and adoption across the state. The results and conclusions of these surveys will be submitted to peer review and will be available for use by all stakeholders in the state.

Local Regional Technology Planning Teams:

Working under the direction of the Governor’s Office, and in coordination with the South Carolina Broadband Advisory Committee, Connect South Carolina will form 10 regional technology planning teams which align with the state’s Council of Governments as well as integrate the Cooperative Extensions of Clemson University and South Carolina State University. The collaboration and coordination within this framework will help to establish specific technology adoption goals, recommendations, and action plans across community sectors with primary focus on the areas of greatest need. These plans will be assimilated at the state level to support the ongoing state strategic planning process funded through the initial SBDD award.

Data Collection, Integration, and Validation:

This project was originally funded for broadband planning activities and two years of data collection. In September of 2010, this project was amended to extend data collection activities for an additional three years and to identify and implement best practices.