Rural broadband provider Comporium said yesterday that it gave York Electric Cooperative (YEC) a check for nearly $1.1 million, which represents a portion of a grant that Comporium was awarded by the South Carolina Broadband Office. The money came through an innovative program offered by the state for a project on which Comporium and York Electric partnered.
The program, known as the Accelerated Deployment Grant Program, reimburses network operators for some of the costs of buildouts in previously unserved areas that were constructed and completed without any public funding between March 15, 2021 – June 30, 2022.
The use of the word “accelerated” in the program name suggests that the goal of the program is to enable providers to complete projects or perhaps take on new projects more quickly.
“As the broadband expert in the partnership, Comporium took the lead on applying for the Accelerated Deployment Grant Program from the South Carolina Broadband Office,” explained Comporium Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Matthew Dosch in an email exchange with Telecompetitor.
“The grant application was based upon network deployment costs incurred by each party. Comporium received the grant funds and passed along to YEC its share.”
The project included areas where YEC provides electric service that are outside Comporium’s local telecom service footprint.
As Dosch explained, Comporium and YEC planned the fiber buildout together. “YEC was responsible for the construction of the distribution plant; Comporium was responsible for the electronics and local loops,” he said.
“Comporium is the broadband service provider. It offers customers in the partnership’s geographic area the same suite of services (including gigabit broadband, IPTV, and security and home automation services) that it offers to all its customers. Comporium issues the bills and receives payment.”
Comporium and YEC deployed 600 miles of fiber between December 2020 and June 2023, according to the companies. The project made high-speed broadband available to more than 5,000 YEC members, the companies said.
Total project costs were $16 million, the partners said. According to the South Carolina Broadband Office, the award made to Comporium through the Accelerated Deployment Grant Program was for more than $1.7 million.
Comporium was one of eight entities that won funding through the program. Other providers that won funding through the program include Carolina Connect Cooperative, Lynches River Communications, NTINet, Palmetto Telephone, Sandhill Telephone, TruVista Communications, and WC Fiber.
The state awarded more than $16 million through the program. The funding covered no more than 50% of project costs for any individual awardee.
“York Electric Cooperative’s Board of Directors sought to provide broadband internet access to the underserved areas of our territory,” said Porter Gable,vice president of communications and outreach for YEC, in an email to Telecompetitor.
“Much like we brought power to the rural areas of our territory more than 80 years ago, we had an opportunity to improve the quality of life for people who didn’t have access to high-speed internet through this partnership.”
