Home Telecom Celebrates Rural Broadband Expansion with Event in the Cross Community
MONCKS CORNER, SC March 21, 2024 — Home Telecom is kicking off the April construction of their $14.7 million rural broadband expansion with a celebration at Tri-Community Center in Cross on Tuesday, March 26 at 11 a.m.
While the rural Cross area currently does not have a fiber network operating in that part of the county, that changes in April when Home Telecom gives Cross homes and businesses a technology upgrade!
The celebration is two-fold. It will celebrate Home Telecom’s upcoming fiber network expansion into the Cross community, and it will recognize the extensive work that has been completed in rural communities over the past three years.
Home Telecom President and CEO William Helmly will give an overview of Home Telecom’s rural expansion projects in Lebanon, Huger, Harleyville, Ridgeville, Awendaw and McClellanville; and share their vision for imminent projects, including Cross.
To date, Home Telecom has invested $27.3 million into the expansion of their Fiber network in rural towns in Berkeley, Dorchester and Charleston counties.
That investment has been matched by eight grants totaling $32.8 million, making it possible for Home Telecom to extend its fiber network into hard-to-reach communities and homes in the Lowcountry.
“The Covid 19 pandemic brought a few things to light,” said Helmly. “One of the key items was that people in rural areas had very little access to the internet speeds they need to thrive from home.
“Home Telecom has always had the goal of extending our network to these areas, and upgrading rural communities we serve with fiber.
“The grants we have received have simply expedited the roll-out and deployment,” Helmly continued. “Our advanced, fully redundant fiber network delivers ultrafast internet speeds that enhance lives across the three counties.
“We think that is something to celebrate.”
U.S. Air Force Veteran Photographer Stacy Pearsall will follow Helmly with an inspiring keynote address. As someone who lives in an area lit with fiber technology made possible by grant funding, she brings a unique perspective on how fiber internet changes lives.
The Bronze Star Medal winner and recipient of the Air Force Commendation with Valor for combat actions in Iraq is an author, educator, military consultant, BRAVO748 public speaker, and founder of the Veterans Portrait Project.
She is also the host of After Action, a PBS series showcasing life for veterans who return home after deployment.
With the current rural broadband expansion projects finished in Awendaw and Harleyville, representatives from those communities will also talk about how the completion of quality high speed broadband access has improved the quality of life and increased economic development in their communities.
Awendaw Town Councilman Frank Frazier, and Berkeley County Councilman Caldwell Pinckney, Jr. will also provide commentary at the event on Tuesday.
Fiber technology is attractive to residents learning and working from home, and to new home buyers and homebuilders who can enjoy the same benefits in rural areas like Cross and Ridgeville as they would if they were living in a large city.
This technology is not only attractive to new businesses and residents, but also to government and civic facilities who need it to improve services and efficiency.
High speed internet ensures that rural schoolchildren have adequate and equal access to online learning, homework research, pre-testing tools, and tutoring opportunities.
Reliable broadband helps ensure better health accessibility and outcomes for families, especially for the elderly population with limited transportation options.
The Capital Project Funds grant project will impact Cross residents and businesses. It begins in April with a goal of completion by December 2025.