Columbia Standard

U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee tweeted July 8 that he supports fellow Democrat and House Majority Whip James Clyburn's Affordable, Accessible Internet for All Act to boost broadband internet coverage in underserved communities, and help close what lawmakers and industry experts call the "digital divide." 

"I support @WhipClyburn's Affordable, Accessible Internet for All Act that will provide billions in funding to build our country’s high-speed broadband infrastructure," Cooper wrote in the Twitter post. 

The goal of the 80-year-old South Carolina veteran lawmaker's joint legislation with Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar in the U.S. Senate, is to make high-speed internet accessible to people in underserved areas and rural communities with billions in federal funds.

Currently, South Carolina ranks 31st in the U.S. for broadband access, according to BroadbandNow.com. And while some counties in South Carolina have strong high-speed coverage, many counties lag behind.

BroadbandNow says that while 91.5% of South Carolinians have access to a wired broadband connection with speeds of 25 Mbps or faster, 344,000 people do not have a wired option capable of such speeds, and 171,000 people do not have access to a wired connection at all, thus contributing to the digital divide. 

There are 116 internet providers operating within South Carolina, but only a little over half-million people only have access to one provider at their home, BroadbandNow said. 

The top South Carolina cities for broadband access and speed, according to BroadbandNow, include Columbia, Greenville, Charleston, Myrtle Beach and Summerville.