Scott, Graham Reintroduce Broadband Expansion Bill

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) recently reintroduced the State Fix Act to expand broadband access to underserved rural areas.

There are more than 650,000 citizens that lack internet or adequate broadband speed across South Carolina, and nationally, this number nears 20 million. The State Fix Act aims to close that gap and ensure every American is able to reach their full potential and access life-changing tools to better their lives, families, and communities.

“Connectivity is absolutely essential for South Carolina families and businesses,” said Senator Scott. “Increased broadband access means more opportunity for underserved and rural communities, positively affecting everything from education and healthcare to business and workforce development.”
 
“There are places in South Carolina you might as well be on the moon when it comes to getting high speed internet service,” said Senator Graham. “All South Carolinians should be able to utilize the educational, telehealth, and business benefits of accessible and affordable broadband. There is bipartisan support for expanding broadband access, and our legislation dramatically improves access in rural and underserved areas.”
 
The State Fix Act will:

• provide $20 billion for broadband infrastructure utilizing fiber-optic cables, wireless, and 5G technologies;
• use a reverse auction method to provide top-quality broadband service at the lowest price for the American taxpayer; and
• base a state’s funding on their unserved (no internet access at all) and a percentage of their underserved (low-quality service) populations to distribute funds to the areas of greatest need like rural America and Opportunity Zones.

In addition to the State Fix Act, Senator Scott has also led on several bills that would increase broadband and connectivity for South Carolinians including The Connecting Minority Communities Act and the Governors’ Broadband Development Fund. 

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