Federal Grant to Expand Broadband Work in Anderson County

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Thanks to a $32 million federal grant, remaining underserved areas of Anderson County without access to high-speed broadband internet service may soon see that change as part of a partnership between the West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative (WCTEL), Upcountry Fiber, Blue Ridge Electric Co-op , and WCFIBER. An additional $10 million from WCFIBER and Upcountry Fiber will be invested to extend the reach of the project.

“This is a great partnership with West Tel and Blue Ridge and this is going to be great for Anderson County,” said Anderson County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn at Friday’s announcement.

Nearly 3,000 Anderson County underserved addresses that currently do not have access to broadband internet service are included in the grant. Construction has begun, and by the end of 2025, those addresses and an additional 10,000 addresses surrounding them, will be able to sign up for broadband internet service through either WCFIBER or Upcountry Fiber, depending on their location.

“It’s just a game changer in our part of the world,” said S.C. Sen. Mike Gambrell, R-Anderson, who finally got broadband at his house in January after years of no service. Gambrell said he had heard nothing but positive comments from constituents on the broadband expansion.

Areas of Anderson County that will soon have access to fiber internet include parts of : Belton, Honea Path, Piercetown, Sandy Springs, La France, Broadway, Williamston, Homeland Park, and other areas throughout Anderson County. Residents will be notified of construction and order timelines in the coming weeks.

“We were one of the places that had the least broadband access for our families,” said Anderson School Dist. 4 Superintendent Dee Christopher. Christopher said he had already seen evidence of the expansion of internet service in many areas, including La France and Townville, and that he is expecting to see other areas get access to the service as well.

Upon completion of construction mainly funded by this grant, WCFIBER and Upcountry Fiber together will have invested approximately $76 million in broadband to areas that have been previously underserved since 2021, resulting in construction of approximately 1,155.8 miles of fiber that will pass nearly 19,000 eligible addresses, mainly residential.