In 2019, Palmetto Care Connections (PCC), South Carolina Office of Rural Health (SCORH) and South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA) partnered to commission a comprehensive evaluation of residential broadband capabilities throughout our state. As health care organizations, the goal was to determine the gaps in internet access as a first step to making improvements which could impact health care, especially telehealth. As a result, detailed maps were produced which depict the availability and speed of broadband access in each of our 46 counties.

Using Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping and overlaying FCC Form 477 data, Speedtest Intelligence® data and U.S. Census data, two maps were produced for each county. One map shows the areas of need by indicating the download and upload speeds as well as the density of unserved households per square mile. The other map shows the type and speed of the best technology available in each area.