Electric co-op bridging the digital divide in Anderson

Jeff Wilson, president and CEO of West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative, said a conversation at a legislative reception in 2020 with Jim Lovinggood of Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative sparked the idea of providing internet services to rural areas in Anderson County.

During their conversation, they discovered that electric cooperative companies were getting into the Internet business because major Internet companies were not providing services in rural areas.

Wilson and Lovinggood saw this as an opportunity to partner together to provide internet service to rural areas in Anderson County.

West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative has provided an all-fiber optic network to Abbeville County, McCormick County, Iva, and Starr since 2011, according to Wilson.

In March 2021, they connected their first customer through the new Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative partnership. “Serving nearly 13,000 residents in underserved areas of Anderson County,” Wilson said.

It has been almost three years since the two companies joined forces, and now they are planning to extend their service area by partnering with WCFIBER, a subsidiary of West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative (WCTEL), and Upcountry Fiber, a partnership between Blue Ridge Electric Co-op (BREC) and WCFIBER.

“Utility cooperatives like ours have a long history of serving our neighbors in traditionally underserved areas,” said Lovinggood in a press release.

Nearly 3,000 Anderson County addresses currently need access to broadband internet services included in the grant, according to the South Carolina Broadband Office.

Wilson mentioned they would serve parts of several areas in the Upstate region, including Belton, Honea Path, Fort Roberts, Homeland Park, Williamston, Piercetown, Sandy Springs, La France, and Broadway.

Grant to help bring internet to underserved areas

The $32 million federal grant from the South Carolina broadband office, WCFIBER, and Upcountry Fiber will help bring high-speed internet access to more than 10,000 homes and businesses in the area.

“We are so thankful to Jim Stritzinger and his team in the South Carolina Broadband Office for awarding us this grant so that more citizens of Anderson County have access to this necessary utility,” said Anderson County Council Chair Tommy Dunn in a press release.

West Carolina Telephone Cooperative and Blue Ridge Electrical Cooperative will invest $10 million to serve an additional 10,000 addresses.

“This grant not only benefits people in their homes but also allows them access to better healthcare, education, and job opportunities, which helps to build a better, more competitive community for everyone,” Lovingood said.

Construction begins, workers needed

Construction has already begun,