Gov. McMaster says it should, despite his advocacy for making the connections available
By Seanna Adcox and Alixel Cabrera
SCDailyGazette.com & utahnewsdispatch.com
COLUMBIA — A COVID-era program that’s helping hundreds of thousands of South Carolinians pay for high-speed internet may end this spring without congressional action.
Gov. Henry McMaster, who’s called connecting all South Carolinians vital to the state’s future, believes it should. The Republican governor says it’s another example of an emergency initiative that needs to go away after the emergency.
“At some point, the pandemic programs need to end once the pandemic is over, and it’s been over for some time now,” he told reporters Monday.
Nationwide, the Affordable Connectivity Program has helped 22.5 million poor families afford to get online by reducing their internet bills by $30 to $75 monthly. It also provides a one-time discount on the purchase of a laptop, desktop or tablet computer.
In South Carolina, nearly 425,500 households are enrolled in the program. That’s roughly one of every five homes.
South Carolina families are saving about $11.6 million monthly with the discounts, for a collective total so far of $204.6 million, according to the White House.
Broken down by congressional district, the 7th District in South Carolina’s northeast corner has the highest number (81,856) and percentage of households enrolled (an estimated 28%). The district anchored in the GOP stronghold of Horry County and the Grand Strand also includes rural Pee Dee counties. A spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. Russell Fry of Surfside Beach did not immediately respond to the S.C. Daily Gazette’s request for comment.
Since the pandemic started, South Carolina legislators have approved spending roughly half a billion dollars to expand high-speed internet across South Carolina — at McMaster’s urging. The bulk of the designations came from federal COVID aid packages, as lawmakers across the political spectrum said the pandemic showed just how essential internet access is for education, health care and job opportunities statewide.
U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, who’s championed the effort in Congress, has even publicly thanked McMaster repeatedly for urging legislators to spend federal aid on broadband expansion — as they stood side by side to tout the progress. The Legislature approved the largest chunk, $400 million, in May 2022.
The initiative to bridge the digital divide continues, as that federal aid is still being spent to connect rural pockets across the state.
McMaster praised the progress again Monday, even as he opposed continuing the program that helps families afford what may be newly available in their neighborhood.
“We’re moving very, very fast” toward broadband being available to all South Carolinians, he said. “I think we’ll get to where we want to be and have that availability for all our people much sooner than anyplace else.”
But, like the COVID-era additional grocery benefits over the summer for poor families that he opposes continuing, the internet discount program should end with the pandemic, he said.
“That’s another one of these programs that was passed from an emergency situation. We’re not in an emergency situation,” he said to explain his opposition to both. “The state has various programs to see that food gets out to people who need it. At some point, you can’t just keep passing things of an emergency nature and then keep them on and keep them on and keep them on.”
Democrats have blasted McMaster’s decision to opt out of this summer’s grocery benefits program, which add $40 per child monthly to families’ food benefit debit cards.
That decision was entirely his. However, Statehouse Democrats were in Washington, D.C. on Monday advocating for a waiver from the participation deadlines, in case McMaster changes his mind or the Legislature overrides him.
Whether the internet discount program continues is up to Congress.
The White House has asked Congress for $6 billion to maintain it through December 2024 and listed it among critical need requests. Without an infusion, the Federal Communications Commission will stop enrolling new participants February 7. Money already allocated is expected to run out this spring.
Internet providers have already sent a notice to customers warning them about the program’s potential end, as the FCC requested, said Ariane Schaffer, a spokesperson for Google Fiber.
“It has helped so many people, so many families across the country,” Schaffer said in urging Congress to continue the program and make it permanent.
“This is allowing folks to engage with society, engage with their communities, through school, jobs, all of these benefits,” she continued. “We really see broadband connectivity as leveling the playing field and really promoting education for everyone.”
The discount works like a voucher program. Families eligible include veterans, people whose income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty line, and those enrolled in other assistance programs including Medicaid and grocery benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — what used to be known as food stamps.
The initiative was launched in 2020 as part of the Emergency Broadband Benefits under then-President Donald Trump. It was then restructured as part of the Biden administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed in November 2021.
Affordable Connectivity Program
S.C. participants by congressional district
• 1st District (Rep. Nancy Mace): 24,378 households enrolled, estimated 8% of all homes in the district
• 2nd District (Joe Wilson): 52,244; 18%
• 3rd District (Jeff Duncan): 61,122; 21%
• 4th District (William Timmons): 65,946; 23%
• 5th District (Ralph Norman): 51,145; 17%
• 6th District (Jim Clyburn): 78,681; 27%
• 7th District (Russell Fry): 81,856, 28%
Source: White House
S.C. Daily Gazette reporter Skylar Laird contributed to this report, which may be updated. Check back for developments.
Like the S.C. Daily Gazette, Utah News Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Utah News Dispatch maintains editorial independence.
Seanna Adcox is a South Carolina native with three decades of reporting experience. She joined States Newsroom in September 2023 after covering the S.C. Legislature and state politics for 18 years. Her previous employers include The Post and Courier and The Associated Press.
Alixel Cabrera covers the status of diverse Utah communities, growth, infrastructure and education for Utah News Dispatch.
