South Carolina internet: a wire almost everywhere, a choice in half the state
Fiber is available at 67.4% of the 2,253,579 homes and businesses the FCC counts in South Carolina, and wired broadband of at least 100/20 Mbps at 97.2%. 54.8% of locations have a choice of two or more wired providers at that speed; at 42.4% there is only one.1
FCC National Broadband Map, availability as of June 30, 2026 (data revised November 10, 2026), as reported by providers.
South region, South Atlantic division
Almost every home and business in South Carolina now has a wired provider offering 100/20 Mbps, and the share left unserved fell from 6.9%2 to 0.5%1 in four years. What still varies is choice: in parts of the Pee Dee a single cable network is the only wire, while next door a telephone cooperative's fiber gives most homes and businesses a second one.
Who reports service across South Carolina
The FCC's National Broadband Map, with data as of June 30, 2026 (revision of November 10, 2026), lists 33 companies offering wired or fixed wireless home internet somewhere in South Carolina, 31 of them over cable, fiber or copper. They report on 2,253,5791 broadband serviceable locations: houses, apartment buildings and small businesses. A location counts as served when a provider says it could connect it within ten business days for a standard installation; the listings are the providers' own and can be challenged on the map.
| T-Mobile | Fiber Licensed wireless | 71.8% | 27.9% | 5 Gbps | 0.0% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon | Licensed wireless | 66.4% | 24.7% | 1 Gbps | – |
| Spectrum | Fiber Cable | 60.8% | 60.8% | 1 Gbps | 21.5% |
| AT&T | Fiber DSL Licensed wireless | 60.6% | 24.1% | 5 Gbps | 0.5% |
| Xfinity | Fiber Cable | 13.4% | 13.4% | 2 Gbps | 2.5% |
| Comporium | Fiber Cable DSL | 8.5% | 8.1% | 8 Gbps | 4.1% |
| HTC | Fiber Cable DSL | 7.7% | 7.7% | 2 Gbps | 2.5% |
| WOW! | Fiber Cable | 5.3% | 5.3% | 5 Gbps | 0.0% |
| CarolinaConnect Cooperative Inc | Fiber | 5.0% | 5.0% | 8 Gbps | 1.2% |
| West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative Inc | Fiber | 4.8% | 4.8% | 8 Gbps | 1.4% |
| Sparklight | Fiber Cable DSL | 4.3% | 3.8% | 1 Gbps | 1.2% |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Share of the area's broadband serviceable locations where the provider reports service as of June 30, 2026. "Only wired option" is the share of locations where it is the single wired provider at 100/20 Mbps. Provider-reported and challengeable; speeds are advertised maximums, not measured; no prices. Satellite providers (HughesNet, Starlink, Viasat) report service at nearly every location and are left out of the table.
The widest footprints are wireless. T-Mobile reports service at 71.8% of locations and Verizon at 66.4%, almost all of it licensed fixed wireless such as 5G home internet, but they offer 100/20 Mbps at only 27.9% and 24.7% of locations respectively. AT&T reports service at 60.6%, with fiber at 21.0%1 of the state's locations and DSL or fixed wireless across much of the rest.
Spectrum is the wired backbone. Its cable and fiber reach 60.8% of locations, all of them at 100/20 Mbps or more, and at 21.5% of the state's locations it is the only wired provider at that speed. Xfinity (13.4%) and WOW! (5.3%1) run the other large cable networks.
The rest of the wired map belongs to regional companies, several of them telephone cooperatives. Comporium reports service at 8.5% of the state's locations, HTC at 7.7%, CarolinaConnect at 5.0% and West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative at 4.8%. The last two report fiber at every location they serve and advertise tiers up to 8 Gbps1.
How the unserved share shrank after 2022
In the first National Broadband Map, as of June 30, 2022, 6.9% of South Carolina's locations were unserved under the BEAD definition, without reliable service of even 25/3 Mbps from a wired or licensed fixed wireless provider. By June 30, 2026 the share was 0.5%, or 11,773 locations, a share that ranks tied for 6th lowest among the states and sits below the national 2.4%. Over the same four years, wired 100/20 Mbps service rose from 85.8%2 of locations to 97.2%, a share that ranks tied for 9th highest in the country; the national figure is 92.3%1.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2022; FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of December 31, 2025; FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Shares of broadband serviceable locations in each FCC release (latest revision of each); the small number is the change in percentage points since June 30, 2022. The FCC's count of locations is updated with each release, so shares are compared rather than counts.
Show the numbers
| Measure | June 30, 2022 | December 31, 2025 | June 30, 2026 | Change (points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unserved | 6.9% | 0.7% | 0.5% | −6.4 pts |
| No terrestrial 100/20 | 13.8% | 2.8% | 2.3% | −11.5 pts |
| Wired 100/20 Mbps | 85.8% | 96.7% | 97.2% | 11.4 pts |
| Fiber available | 36.1% | 63.8% | 67.4% | 31.3 pts |
| Two or more wired choices | 33.3% | 52.2% | 54.8% | 21.5 pts |
Two kinds of gap are left. At 10,592 locations 100/20 Mbps is available only from a fixed wireless provider, with no wire at that speed. At 4,0781 no wired or fixed wireless provider reports service at all, leaving satellite.
The remaining unserved locations are not spread evenly. Allendale County, on the Savannah River with 4,546 locations, has the highest share, 5.2% (236 locations), and also the highest satellite-only share, 2.4%. At the other end, Horry County, around Myrtle Beach, counts 6 unserved locations out of 182,9701.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. Darker counties have larger gaps. Point at a county for its value; the county table has every figure. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
One wire or two: the Pee Dee split
Coverage and competition are separate questions. 54.8% of South Carolina's locations can choose between two or more wired providers at 100/20 Mbps, close to the national 55.6%. But 42.4% have exactly one, the 16th highest share among the states and above the national 36.6%1.
District of Columbia 5.5%North Dakota 59.3%
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Each dot is a state. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
Show the numbers
| Area | One wired choice |
|---|---|
| North Dakota | 59.3% |
| Nevada | 58.5% |
| Montana | 57.4% |
| Alaska | 55.0% |
| Arizona | 54.2% |
| New Mexico | 53.5% |
| South Dakota | 53.1% |
| Washington | 48.5% |
| Michigan | 46.9% |
| West Virginia | 46.7% |
| Wisconsin | 45.9% |
| Minnesota | 45.4% |
| Massachusetts | 43.7% |
| California | 43.2% |
| Vermont | 42.7% |
| South Carolina | 42.4% |
| Oregon | 42.3% |
| Arkansas | 42.3% |
| Mississippi | 41.8% |
| Delaware | 40.9% |
| North Carolina | 39.5% |
| Maine | 39.2% |
| Idaho | 39.1% |
| Kentucky | 38.0% |
| Alabama | 37.5% |
| Louisiana | 36.9% |
| New York | 35.8% |
| Illinois | 35.2% |
| New Jersey | 34.8% |
| Pennsylvania | 34.6% |
| Iowa | 34.6% |
| Oklahoma | 34.1% |
| Ohio | 34.0% |
| Georgia | 34.0% |
| Virginia | 33.0% |
| Wyoming | 32.7% |
| Colorado | 32.4% |
| Indiana | 32.4% |
| Maryland | 32.0% |
| Tennessee | 30.8% |
| Missouri | 30.4% |
| Florida | 30.2% |
| Utah | 26.8% |
| New Hampshire | 26.7% |
| Nebraska | 25.4% |
| Kansas | 25.2% |
| Texas | 24.2% |
| Hawaii | 19.0% |
| Connecticut | 17.9% |
| Rhode Island | 16.7% |
| District of Columbia | 5.5% |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Different wired providers (fiber, cable or DSL; FCC provider IDs) reporting 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up or more at the same location. Fixed wireless and satellite are not counted.
Show the numbers
| Area | None | One | Two | Three or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 2.8% | 42.4% | 44.2% | 10.6% |
| Marlboro County | 0.6% | 18.0% | 81.4% | 0.0% |
| Dillon County | 8.2% | 91.7% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| Darlington County | 6.9% | 91.8% | 1.4% | 0.0% |
| United States | 7.8% | 36.6% | 44.6% | 11.1% |
The contrast is sharpest in the Pee Dee, in the northeast. Marlboro County has the highest two-wire share of any county, 81.4%. There, Sandhill Telephone Cooperative Inc reports fiber and cable at 97.0% of locations and Spectrum at 83.7%. Fiber in Marlboro went from almost nothing in June 2022 to 98.1% of locations, a rise of +97.5 percentage points1, the largest of any county in the state.
Across the county line, Dillon County has the lowest share with two wired choices: 0.1%. Spectrum reports service at 91.8% of its locations, and 91.7% of locations have a single wired 100/20 option. Darlington County, to the west, has the lowest fiber share in the state, 19.0%, and one wired choice at 91.8%1 of locations.
| Area | Locations (BSLs) | Fiber available | Wired 100/20 Mbps | One wired choice | Two or more wired choices | Unserved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlboro County, South Carolina | 12,394 | 98.1% | 99.4% | 18.0% | 81.4% | 0.4% |
| Chesterfield County, South Carolina | 22,199 | 86.8% | 98.2% | 52.7% | 45.5% | 0.7% |
| Dillon County, South Carolina | 13,764 | 29.4% | 91.9% | 91.7% | 0.1% | 1.3% |
| Darlington County, South Carolina | 30,962 | 19.0% | 93.1% | 91.8% | 1.4% | 1.1% |
| Marion County, South Carolina | 15,486 | 43.6% | 95.7% | 73.2% | 22.5% | 0.7% |
| Florence County, South Carolina | 58,546 | 48.7% | 95.3% | 58.6% | 36.7% | 0.9% |
| Lee County, South Carolina | 8,204 | 77.5% | 98.2% | 90.7% | 7.5% | 0.4% |
| South Carolina | 2,253,579 | 67.4% | 97.2% | 42.4% | 54.8% | 0.5% |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
Lee County shows a third pattern: fiber reaches 77.5% of locations, but only 7.5% have a second wired provider. FTC, which reports fiber and DSL at 95.3%1 of the county's locations, is the largest.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. Darker counties are higher. Point at a county for its value; the county table has every figure. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
| Abbeville County | 12,296 | 97.6% | 99.5% | 51.5% | 0.3% | West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative Inc | 66.1% ±3.9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aiken County | 82,163 | 78.4% | 99.3% | 80.5% | 0.2% | AT&T | 72.7% ±1.5 |
| Allendale County | 4,546 | 84.5% | 91.6% | 49.1% | 5.2% | Spectrum | 45.3% ±7.2 |
| Anderson County | 92,582 | 38.8% | 96.5% | 34.2% | 0.2% | Spectrum | 70.4% ±1.5 |
| Bamberg County | 7,151 | 78.1% | 96.0% | 53.0% | 1.1% | Spectrum | 43.6% ±5.1 |
| Barnwell County | 10,563 | 83.5% | 94.7% | 51.8% | 2.2% | Spectrum | 47.8% ±3.3 |
| Beaufort County | 85,853 | 65.0% | 94.9% | 56.8% | 0.6% | Sparklight | 83.2% ±1.4 |
| Berkeley County | 95,842 | 72.0% | 98.3% | 63.3% | 0.6% | Home Telecom | 76.8% ±1.2 |
| Calhoun County | 8,039 | 97.5% | 99.4% | 49.0% | 0.4% | TRICOLINK | 58.7% ±4.1 |
| Charleston County | 157,352 | 53.1% | 98.8% | 72.1% | 0.5% | Xfinity | 74.7% ±0.9 |
| Cherokee County | 25,531 | 35.2% | 95.1% | 14.2% | 0.9% | Spectrum | 60.2% ±2.8 |
| Chester County | 16,382 | 38.9% | 77.8% | 0.4% | 4.2% | TruVista Communications | 59.3% ±3.3 |
| Chesterfield County | 22,199 | 86.8% | 98.2% | 45.5% | 0.7% | Sandhill Telephone Cooperative Inc | 67.5% ±2.7 |
| Clarendon County | 17,593 | 84.8% | 98.8% | 25.8% | 0.0% | FTC | 71.7% ±2.8 |
| Colleton County | 20,560 | 90.9% | 99.8% | 41.1% | 0.2% | Palmetto Telephone Communications, LLC | 69.5% ±2.2 |
| Darlington County | 30,962 | 19.0% | 93.1% | 1.4% | 1.1% | Spectrum | 61.2% ±2.6 |
| Dillon County | 13,764 | 29.4% | 91.9% | 0.1% | 1.3% | Spectrum | 34.0% ±3.0 |
| Dorchester County | 64,275 | 66.3% | 98.4% | 71.2% | 0.5% | Spectrum | 77.0% ±1.9 |
| Edgefield County | 12,401 | 84.7% | 97.7% | 70.9% | 1.0% | AT&T | 54.5% ±3.5 |
| Fairfield County | 11,548 | 86.3% | 90.8% | 39.5% | 2.6% | TruVista Communications | 59.2% ±4.2 |
| Florence County | 58,546 | 48.7% | 95.3% | 36.7% | 0.9% | Spectrum | 59.9% ±1.9 |
| Georgetown County | 34,197 | 65.0% | 98.5% | 58.8% | 0.3% | Spectrum | 71.8% ±1.9 |
| Greenville County | 204,745 | 66.6% | 96.6% | 64.7% | 0.4% | Spectrum | 78.1% ±0.8 |
| Greenwood County | 29,944 | 92.4% | 98.2% | 80.1% | 0.8% | Brightspeed | 70.1% ±2.2 |
| Hampton County | 9,247 | 89.9% | 98.4% | 67.7% | 0.9% | Xfinity | 58.8% ±3.2 |
| Horry County | 182,970 | 84.6% | 99.5% | 57.4% | 0.0% | HTC | 78.6% ±1.0 |
| Jasper County | 17,870 | 89.4% | 97.6% | 65.0% | 0.7% | Sparklight | 68.3% ±4.2 |
| Kershaw County | 32,504 | 60.6% | 93.3% | 35.7% | 1.1% | AT&T | 72.1% ±2.2 |
| Lancaster County | 45,553 | 67.6% | 99.5% | 47.2% | 0.3% | Comporium | 78.0% ±1.4 |
| Laurens County | 32,349 | 66.6% | 97.3% | 34.1% | 0.6% | Spectrum | 63.4% ±2.7 |
| Lee County | 8,204 | 77.5% | 98.2% | 7.5% | 0.4% | FTC | 68.3% ±4.2 |
| Lexington County | 127,387 | 83.2% | 98.6% | 76.5% | 0.1% | Spectrum | 78.6% ±1.1 |
| Marion County | 15,486 | 43.6% | 95.7% | 22.5% | 0.7% | Spectrum | 32.3% ±3.3 |
| Marlboro County | 12,394 | 98.1% | 99.4% | 81.4% | 0.4% | Sandhill Telephone Cooperative Inc | 41.9% ±3.1 |
| McCormick County | 5,946 | 99.2% | 99.2% | 11.9% | 0.8% | West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative Inc | 70.7% ±5.1 |
| Newberry County | 20,252 | 85.5% | 94.7% | 41.8% | 2.5% | CarolinaConnect Cooperative Inc | 60.4% ±2.8 |
| Oconee County | 42,175 | 69.2% | 95.9% | 45.5% | 1.3% | AT&T | 60.5% ±2.4 |
| Orangeburg County | 42,164 | 56.2% | 92.8% | 29.7% | 2.2% | Spectrum | 54.3% ±2.4 |
| Pickens County | 52,031 | 57.5% | 97.9% | 46.8% | 0.2% | AT&T | 70.8% ±1.7 |
| Richland County | 147,812 | 71.5% | 97.0% | 69.4% | 0.2% | Spectrum | 79.0% ±0.9 |
| Saluda County | 10,290 | 95.2% | 98.9% | 53.2% | 0.6% | CarolinaConnect Cooperative Inc | 51.4% ±4.3 |
| Spartanburg County | 144,712 | 66.9% | 96.0% | 60.5% | 0.4% | Spectrum | 71.6% ±1.1 |
| Sumter County | 46,306 | 68.7% | 98.5% | 53.5% | 0.1% | Spectrum | 73.7% ±1.8 |
| Union County | 13,953 | 25.6% | 92.7% | 0.5% | 2.1% | Spectrum | 54.8% ±3.4 |
| Williamsburg County | 16,413 | 80.8% | 96.5% | 19.3% | 1.3% | FTC | 48.4% ±3.3 |
| York County | 108,527 | 61.8% | 99.4% | 38.2% | 0.2% | Comporium | 79.3% ±1.2 |
| South Carolina | 2,253,579 | 67.4% | 97.2% | 54.8% | 0.5% | 72.8% |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year detailed tables. Shares of broadband serviceable locations as of June 30, 2026 (FCC). 2+ wired choices: two or more wired providers at 100/20 Mbps. Unserved: BEAD definition. Largest wired provider: reports fiber, cable or DSL at the most locations. Wired subscription: households with a cable, fiber or DSL subscription, American Community Survey 2020–2024 (± 90% margin of error).
Where regional networks run the fiber
Much of South Carolina's fiber comes from companies that serve one region. HTC reports service at 81.0% of locations in Horry County, where fiber reaches 84.6%. Comporium covers 91.8% of York County and 96.6% of Lancaster County, south of Charlotte. Sandhill Telephone Cooperative is the largest provider in Chesterfield County (77.6%1) as well as Marlboro. In each of these counties the regional network, not a national company, is the largest wired provider.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. Darker counties are higher. Point at a county for its value; the county table has every figure. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
Fiber reaches half of all locations or more in 38 of the state's 464 counties. Statewide it rose from 36.1% to 67.4% between 2022 and 2026, while DSL fell from 51.3% to 40.4%. Locations with two or more separate fiber networks went from 1.5%2 to 13.0%1.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
Show the numbers
| Area | Fiber available: change since June 30, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Marlboro County | 97.5 pts |
| Spartanburg County | 46.8 pts |
| Greenville County | 37.1 pts |
| York County | 33.6 pts |
| South Carolina | 31.3 pts |
| United States | 25.4 pts |
| Horry County | 18.8 pts |
| Beaufort County | −2.2 pts |
In the Upstate, fiber's share rose by 46.8 percentage points in Spartanburg County and 37.1 percentage points in Greenville County. In Horry it rose by 18.8 percentage points, to 84.6%1, the highest fiber share among the state's ten largest counties by locations.
One large county moved the other way. In Beaufort County, around Hilton Head and Beaufort, the fiber share changed by −2.2 percentage points since 2022, the only fall of any South Carolina county, and wired 100/20 service by −3.2 percentage points. Sparklight reports service at 95.4%1 of the county's locations.
In the largest cities, fiber is reported at 70.4% of locations in Columbia, 55.4% in Charleston and 43.2% in North Charleston, where 83.7%1 of locations have two or more wired choices. Every city and town of 25,000 or more is listed below.
| Charleston | 159,423 | 55.4% | 78.7% | 76.1% | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | 147,035 | 70.4% | 70.4% | 70.2% | 6 |
| North Charleston | 129,245 | 43.2% | 73.3% | 83.7% | 4 |
| Mount Pleasant | 95,469 | 73.5% | 86.4% | 81.1% | 4 |
| Rock Hill | 75,911 | 54.1% | 99.9% | 36.0% | 4 |
| Greenville | 75,310 | 68.5% | 68.5% | 66.4% | 3 |
| Summerville | 53,177 | 64.5% | 72.0% | 87.9% | 5 |
| Goose Creek | 52,010 | 79.4% | 94.2% | 87.2% | 5 |
| Greer | 50,007 | 75.8% | 75.8% | 74.7% | 3 |
| Sumter | 43,094 | 41.1% | 40.8% | 38.0% | 2 |
| Florence | 41,231 | 72.2% | 72.2% | 70.5% | 3 |
| Myrtle Beach | 40,937 | 58.6% | 58.6% | 45.6% | 4 |
| Spartanburg | 39,978 | 67.5% | 67.5% | 66.4% | 3 |
| Fort Mill | 38,673 | 71.3% | 71.3% | 36.4% | 3 |
| Hilton Head Island | 38,196 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 97.1% | 3 |
| Bluffton | 36,807 | 73.3% | 73.2% | 32.9% | 4 |
| Aiken | 33,808 | 61.7% | 93.8% | 92.8% | 5 |
| Mauldin | 31,465 | 92.3% | 92.3% | 92.8% | 5 |
| Anderson | 31,323 | 43.6% | 43.6% | 44.4% | 2 |
| Conway | 30,627 | 99.9% | 99.9% | 76.4% | 3 |
| Simpsonville | 28,459 | 87.7% | 87.7% | 86.8% | 5 |
| Easley | 27,319 | 49.8% | 49.8% | 51.0% | 3 |
| North Augusta | 26,982 | 70.6% | 99.5% | 77.5% | 4 |
| Lexington | 25,729 | 89.8% | 89.8% | 88.1% | 6 |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates; Census Bureau, 2020 Census Block Assignment Files. Shares of broadband serviceable locations inside city limits (2020 census blocks), as of June 30, 2026. Population: July 1, 2025 estimate. Gigabit: 1,000/100 Mbps.
Gigabit downloads nearly everywhere, gigabit uploads on fiber
A 1 Gbps download is advertised at 96.6% of locations; Spectrum's network alone, with a maximum of 1 Gbps, reaches 60.8%. The full gigabit tier the FCC tracks, 1,000 Mbps down with at least 100 Mbps up, reaches 72.8%, up from 31.7% in June 2022. The difference between the two figures is upload speed. Symmetrical service of at least 100/100 Mbps rose from 33.6%2 to 72.9%1.
At 56.0% of locations the fastest advertised download is 2 Gbps or more, against 8.3%2 in 2022 and 61.0%1 nationally today. These are providers' maximum advertised speeds, not measured ones.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Maximum advertised download speed (Mbps) of any wired or fixed wireless offer at the location, as reported by providers to the FCC; satellite excluded. Advertised, not measured.
Show the numbers
| Area | Under 25 Mbps or none | 25–99 | 100–249 | 250–499 | 500–939 | 940–1,999 | 2,000 or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 1.1% | 0.9% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 40.7% | 56.0% |
| United States | 2.4% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 1.4% | 0.9% | 31.0% | 61.0% |
Subscriptions, cost and Lifeline
Availability is reported per location; subscriptions come from the Census Bureau's household survey. In 2025, 93.4% of South Carolina households had a broadband subscription of any type (margin of error ±0.3 percentage points), up from 82.7%9 in 2019, and 76.3% subscribed to cable, fiber or DSL (±0.5 percentage points). 13.2%8 relied only on a cellular data plan.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year detailed tables. Availability is a share of locations as of June 30, 2026 (FCC); subscriptions are a share of households from the American Community Survey, 2025 (whiskers: 90% margin of error). Different units and dates: read the gap as a sign, not an exact number.
Show the numbers
| Measure | Share | MOE |
|---|---|---|
| Wired 100/20 Mbps available (FCC, share of locations) | 97.2% | |
| Households subscribing to cable, fiber or DSL (Census) | 76.3% | ±0.5 |
| Households relying only on a cellular data plan | 13.2% | ±0.5 |
| Households with no internet subscription | 6.6% | ±0.3 |
Income still separates households: 81.9% of those earning under $20,000 had a subscription (margin of error ±1.9 percentage points), against 97.4% of those earning $75,000 or more. Among South Carolinians 65 and older, 88.7%8 lived in a household with a computer and broadband.
The FCC map carries no prices. The official help with cost is Lifeline, a federal monthly discount for low-income households, which had 73,33710 South Carolina subscribers; USAC estimates that 19.2%11 of eligible households are enrolled. The Affordable Connectivity Program had 415,68012 South Carolina households enrolled when it stopped taking sign-ups in February 2024, about 19.6 per 100 households13, and ended on June 1, 2024.
BEAD: little left to build, most of the money unassigned
No state plan is cheaper per location. Of South Carolina's $551.5 million14 Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) allocation, the approved Final Proposal uses a small part, covering only 20,480 locations, at a BEAD cost of $41.4 million. That is $2,019 per location, which ranks the lowest among the state plans. Providers committed a further $38.2 million15.
Source: NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs. Locations in the state's approved BEAD Final Proposal by technology of the selected projects, as printed in NTIA's Final Proposal overview; subject to NTIA and NIST final review and award.
Show the numbers
| Technology | Share of BEAD locations |
|---|---|
| Fiber | 47.8% |
| Cable | 3.5% |
| Fixed wireless | 0.0% |
| Low-Earth-orbit satellite | 48.7% |
The plan splits almost evenly between two technologies: 9,799 locations (47.8%) are assigned to fiber and 9,974 (48.7%) to low-Earth-orbit satellite, the 3rd highest satellite share of any state; cable takes the remaining 3.5%, and no location went to fixed wireless. $510.2 million15 of the allocation is not assigned to construction, and how that money may be used was not settled as of November 2026. The South Carolina Broadband Office, part of the Office of Regulatory Staff, publishes the plan and its awards.
Earlier federal money is listed below, including the state's $185.8 million16 Capital Projects Fund allocation and the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, whose recipients had reported deploying service at 70,99417 locations.
| Program | Amount | As of |
|---|---|---|
| BEAD allocation (NTIA, announced June 26, 2023) | $551,535,983 | |
| BEAD Final Proposal: locations to be connected | 20,480 | |
| BEAD Final Proposal: deployment cost | $41,358,389 | |
| BEAD cost per location | $2,019 | |
| BEAD allocation not assigned to deployment | $510,177,594 | |
| Treasury Capital Projects Fund allocation | $185,765,655 | |
| RDOF: locations built with support (cumulative) | 70,994 | |
| USDA ReConnect grants reported to USAspending | $30,207,808 | |
| Lifeline subscribers claimed | 73,337 | |
| Lifeline participation rate | 19.2% | |
| Households in the Affordable Connectivity Program, February 2024 | 415,680 |
Source: NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Award Recipients pages; NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs; Department of the Treasury, Capital Projects Fund Awards Made to States, Territories, and Freely Associated States, to date; USAC, CAF Disbursements and Locations Data; Department of the Treasury, spending_by_award API for Assistance Listings 10.752; Universal Service Administrative Co., Lifeline Disbursements; USAC, Lifeline participation rate; USAC, ACP Enrollments by County as of February 8, 2024. BEAD figures are as printed in NTIA's Final Proposal overview, subject to final review; "not assigned to deployment" is the allocation minus the deployment cost (NTIA calls it savings; how it may be used is not settled). The ACP stopped taking applications on February 8, 2024 and ended on June 1, 2024.
South Carolina internet questions
What are the main internet providers in South Carolina?
Leaving out satellite, the widest reported footprints as of June 30, 2026 belong to T-Mobile (71.8% of locations, mostly 5G home internet), Verizon (66.4%, licensed fixed wireless), Spectrum (60.8%, fiber and cable) and AT&T (60.6%, fiber and DSL and licensed fixed wireless1). Spectrum is the largest wired network. Comporium, HTC, WOW!, CarolinaConnect and West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative each cover a region of the state.
How much of South Carolina has fiber internet?
Fiber is reported at 67.4% of South Carolina's homes and businesses, up from 36.1%2 in June 2022, against 62.6% nationally. It ranges from 99.2% of locations in McCormick County to 19.0%1 in Darlington County. Whether a given address has it can only be checked on the FCC's National Broadband Map.
How many people in South Carolina lack broadband?
Fewer than in most states: the share fell from 6.9%2 in 2022 to 0.5%, highest in Allendale County. Counted as FCC locations rather than people, as of June 30, 2026, 11,773 South Carolina homes and businesses (0.5%) were unserved, with no reliable wired or licensed fixed wireless service of 25/3 Mbps, and 14,409 more were underserved. At 4,0781 locations satellite was the only service reported. Separately, the Census Bureau estimates that 6.6%8 of households had no internet subscription in 2025.
What is the cheapest internet in South Carolina?
Prices are not in the FCC filings, and where a county has one wired provider, as in Dillon or Darlington, there is no local comparison to make; each plan's price and fees are on the provider's broadband facts label. The federal Lifeline discount, $9.25 a month for eligible low-income households, had 73,33710 South Carolina subscribers, an estimated 19.2%11 of those eligible.
How much BEAD money does South Carolina get?
South Carolina was allocated $551.5 million14. Its approved plan, at $2,019 per location the cheapest of any state, covers 20,480 locations for $41.4 million; $510.2 million15 sits outside the construction plan.
Checking one address in South Carolina
The figures on this page describe the whole area. Which providers report service at a single home or apartment is shown only on the FCC's own map: search the address at broadbandmap.fcc.gov. If a provider is listed there but cannot actually connect you within ten business days, or the location is missing or misplaced, the map has a button to file a challenge; providers must respond, and corrections flow into later releases. Prices and plans are not part of the FCC data: each provider must show them on its broadband facts label at the point of sale.
More on internet in and around South Carolina
Large cities with their own page: Charleston, Columbia and North Charleston.
Neighboring states: Georgia and North Carolina. Put South Carolina side by side with any state or large city in the comparison tool.
| Ranking | Value | Rank (1 = highest) |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber internet availability by state | 67.4% | 25th of 51 |
| Internet speed by state: where gigabit service is offered | 72.8% | 27th of 51 |
| Broadband coverage by state | 97.2% | 9th of 51 |
| Internet provider competition by state | 54.8% | 26th of 51 |
| Unserved and underserved broadband locations by state | 0.5% | 45th of 51 |
| Where fiber has grown since 2022 | 31.3% | 18th of 51 |
| 5G home internet and licensed fixed wireless by state | 86.4% | tied 28th of 51 |
| Households with an internet subscription by state | 93.4% | tied 27th of 51 |
| BEAD broadband funding by state | 2,019.0% | 50th of 50 |
Sources
- FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Availability as of June 30, 2026; released November 10, 2026. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2022; Availability as of June 30, 2022; released May 10, 2024. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of December 31, 2025; Availability as of December 31, 2025; released November 3, 2026. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. www2.census.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year detailed tables; 2020-2024; released January 29, 2026. api.census.gov
- Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates; July 1, 2025; released May 14, 2026. www.census.gov
- Census Bureau, 2020 Census Block Assignment Files; released December 11, 2020. www2.census.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year detailed tables; 2025 (calendar-year sample); released October 29, 2026. api.census.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019 1-year detailed tables; 2019. api.census.gov
- Universal Service Administrative Co., Lifeline Disbursements; Support months 2018-01 to 2026-09. opendata.usac.org
- USAC, Lifeline participation rate; released August 17, 2026. www.usac.org
- USAC, ACP Enrollments by County as of February 8, 2024; Enrolled households as of 2024-02-08 (Data Month January 2024 file). www.usac.org
- US Internet Map, Our calculation from the sources named in the definition.
- NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Award Recipients pages; Allocations announced 2023-06-26; released June 26, 2023. broadbandusa.ntia.gov
- NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs. broadbandusa.ntia.gov
- Department of the Treasury, Capital Projects Fund Awards Made to States, Territories, and Freely Associated States, to date; Allocations under ARPA sec. 604 (awards announced 2022-06 to 2023). home.treasury.gov
- USAC, CAF Disbursements and Locations Data. opendata.usac.org
- Department of the Treasury, spending_by_award API for Assistance Listings 10.752; Awards with action dates FY2008 to 2026-09-30. api.usaspending.gov
Margins of error (±) are at the 90% confidence level. A difference is called significant only when it passes the Census Bureau's test at that level. How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.