South Carolina Statehouse Blog

Columbia, S.C. * September 16, 2009 * Governor Mark Sanford today announced a new advisory committee charged with helping prioritize applications for federal broadband infrastructure stimulus funds. Under this year’s federal stimulus act, public and private groups across the state can apply for broadband grants from a national $7.2 billion pool that are then forwarded to the Governor’s Office for prioritization.

“Going back to the Executive Budget of 2006, we’ve consistently advocated for expanding broadband access as a means of improving the economic environment and spurring on development in our state,” Gov. Sanford said. “This group of experts and statewide voices represents a small but important opportunity for us not only to work toward this larger notion of improving economic soil conditions, but indeed prioritize the way federal stimulus dollars get spent. So while we continue to believe that the so-called stimulus was fundamentally flawed in spending money the federal government doesn’t have, given that it’s now a reality, we think it’s vital that these dollars have the maximum impact possible * and that’s what this committee is all about.”

Members of the committee include: the Honorable Gilda Cobb-Hunter, South Carolina House of Representatives; Nancy Coombs, the designee of Senator Glenn McConnell who has worked with the South Carolina Broadband Study Committee; Paul Koch, General Counsel at the Division of State Information Technology who has also worked with the South Carolina Broadband Study Committee; Lt. Col. Mike Oliver from the South Carolina Highway Patrol; and Nanette Edwards, Office of Regulatory Staff, who has also worked with the South Carolina Broadband Study Committee.

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