Closing the Broadband Availability Gap and Support the Development of a Five-Year Action Plan

Description

Purpose: The Purpose of This Grant Is to Support Closing the Broadband Availability Gap and Support the Development of a Five-Year Action Plan.the Proposed Project Includes the Following Planning and Pre-Deployment Activities: Research and Data Collection, Including Initial Identification of Unserved Locations and Underserved Locations Consistent with Rules, Regulations, and Processes Commission Has Established for Making Determinations in Broadband Data Maps; Training for Employees of Broadband Program or Office of Eligible Entity or Employees or Political Subdivisions of Eligible Entity, and Related Staffing Capacity or Consulting or Contracted Support to Effectuate Goals of Bead Program; Establishing, Operating, or Increasing Capacity of a Broadband Office That Oversees Broadband Programs and Broadband Deployment in an Eligible Entity; Asset Mapping Across the Eligible Entity to Catalogue Broadband Adoption, Affordability, Equity, Access and Deployment Activities Occurring Within the Eligible Entity; Conducting Surveys of Unserved, Underserved, and Underrepresented Communities to Better Understand Barriers to Adoption; and Publications, Outreach, and Communications Support. Expected Outcomes: The Outcomes of South Carolina's Proposed Project, "South Carolina Digital Drive," Are a Comprehensive Five-Year Action Plan Identifying South Carolina's Broadband Access, Affordability, Equity, and Adoption Needs; Serving as a Benchmark for Adopting Strategies, Goals, and Initial Measures for Connecting All Residents with Reliable Broadband Service. More Specific Outcomes Include More Precise Assessment of the Actual Barriers Residents Are Facing That Impact Their Ability to Access Reliable Broadband Service and Verification of Construction as Grant Funded Projects Come On-Line; Consistent, Professional Messaging and Better-Informed Stakeholders Contributing to a More Collaborative, Cohesive Five-Year Action Plan; Greater Capacity and the Creation of a More Comprehensive Five-Year Action Plan, as Well as Future Project Deliverables; an Asset Inventory That, When Analyzed Against South Carolina's Needs Assessment, Will Enable US to Identify Any Resource, Funding, and Programming Gaps; and a More Holistic Representation of Residents? Issues. Intended Beneficiaries: The Intended Beneficiaries Are Unserved and Underserved Groups in the State of South Carolina with a Focus on Rural and Unserved Populations.subrecipient Activities: The Recipient Does Not Intend to Subaward Funds.