‘Internet for our kids’; Ground broken for Bamberg County broadband

An estimated 5,241 people, 254 businesses, 60 farms and 24 educational facilities in Bamberg County are expected to benefit from the construction of about 210 miles of buried fiber across the central portions of the county.

The areas benefitting from the project include the communities of Hunter’s Chapel, Denmark and portions of the City of Bamberg – basically the U.S. Highway 78 corridor from Denmark to Whetstone’s Crossing near Branchville.

The actual work on the project is expected to begin in about three to six months, according to project engineer William Metts of Metts Engineering.

Officials believe it will take up to two years to get the majority of the cable in the ground. The project is expected to take a total of five years.

The groundbreaking was held at the Bamberg County Airport, because it’s between Bamberg and Denmark on U.S. Highway 78.

Metts said the project will begin with a 100-gigabit capacity with plans to increase that. He said the capacity is enough to provide needed services to homes, businesses and schools.

“That is a lot of capacity,” Metts said.

The fiber will cross the Edisto River at Whetstone’s Crossroads, come through Bamberg and Denmark and cross the Edisto a second time at U.S. Highway 321, Metts said.

The project will also be constructed to ensure that if a fiber is cut, service will not be impacted.

There will be full installation of the fiber to customers at no charge and Wi-Fi routers will be installed in all households, Metts said.

The broadband project was made possible thanks to a $12 million U.S. Department of Agriculture ReConnect Grant. There will be no local match.

It is part of the fourth round of funding for the program, which is part of President Joe Biden’s $45 billion “Internet for All” initiative to connect all Americans to high-speed internet by 2030.

County officials noted the lack of high-speed internet was really evident during the coronavirus pandemic when students in rural areas struggled to learn remotely.

Bamberg County is one of 12 counties in the state designated as a “persistent poverty county,” which means the residents of this community face specific challenges and will rely on broadband internet services to help grow their local economy and increase their opportunities for the future.

Residents are encouraged to apply for the Affordable Connectivity Program. Households with students receiving free or reduced lunch qualify, as well as all college students who receive Pell Grants.

Those who qualify for ACP will get $30 a month off their internet bill.

Bamberg County applied for funding to improve rural internet access about ten times since 2018 before Congressman James Clyburn’s involvement made it happen.

“When one door closes, another one opens,” Bamberg County Administrator Joey Preston said.

The original hope was to get a $5 million grant, but that fell through and now the county is getting $12 million.

“It is all those services that those other companies sell for a lot of money, we get those same services for less. That is a good thing for our community,” Preston said.

The private sector was uninterested in bringing broadband internet to underserved areas, he said.

Preston said the project was also made possible by a “progressive and forward-thinking county council.”

“We have a plan to implement what we need in this county,” Bamberg County Council Chairman Evert Comer Jr. said. “This is what this all about.”

Comer said the county’s size and rural nature helped it get the grant, but he said, “one day we won’t be in that classification.”

“We are moving further and further up the ladder,” Comer said.

“We all live by the internet today, but not just homes,” Bamberg County Councilwoman Sharon Hammond said. “The farmers. They have to up their game. They’ve got to do business. They need access. They need high speed.”

Hammond said school children need access.

“Bamberg is opening itself up to the entire world,” Hammond said. “Broadband is going to give us access to the rest of the world.”

Councilman Larry Haynes cited the importance of broadband for education.

“We know when COVID came, the kids didn’t learn anything for a whole year, especially the kids who lived in the country,” Haynes said. “They had no means of getting their homework. That was really sad that a lot of kids had to come to town to the library just to try to do their homework.”

“Now that we are going to have broadband, everybody, every home, every child will be able to do their own work whether they be at school or whether they are at home,” Haynes said.

“Our future is our kids,” Councilman Spencer Donaldson said. Donaldson said high-speed internet access will be crucial for future generations.

“COVID showed us a lot,” Councilman Phil Myers said. “We’ve got to have Internet for our kids. That is the future of Bamberg County.”

Bamberg Mayor Nancy Foster said, “High-speed broadband will have a positive effect on our established industries and businesses.

“It will enhance Bamberg County’s attractiveness in recruiting new businesses and industries. Broadband access is a crucial driver of job creation and economic growth.”

She said broadband gives more affordable, efficient access to basic amenities such as health care and education.

Bamberg City Councilman Corey Ramsey said leaders, especially rural leaders, need to be visionary.

“If we are not thinking about our grandchildren, we will perish,” Ramsey said. “We must be futuristic.”

Denmark City Council members also praised the broadband project.

“Our youth are our tomorrow,” Councilwoman Rosa James said. “We always have to put our kids first. I am excited about what is about to happen.”

Spectrum also announced last week that it is launching internet, mobile, TV and voice service to more than 2,025 homes and small businesses in the county.

The service will provide broadband speeds from 300 megabits per second to 1 gigabit per second.

The Bamberg County project is a part of the company’s $5 billion Rural Opportunity Digital Fund-related investment in unserved rural communities, partly offset by $1.2 billion in the Federal Communications Commission’s RDOF auction.

The company’s RDOF expansion will provide broadband access to 1.3 million customer locations across 24 states in the coming years.

The combination of the county’s project and Spectrum’s project means about 90 percent of Bamberg County will have broadband access, according to county officials.