COLUMBIA, S.C. — Students in rural communities across South Carolina are about to be equipped with the supplies they need to succeed.
Today, Governor Henry McMaster announced a new educational initiative for those without broadband.
And York District One is one of the first beneficiaries.
SCETV and the Department of Education are joining forces to invest 1.3 million dollars to expand datacasting that will provide educational lessons and resources.
Datacasting is a way for students to get information through their computers that comes from SCETV’s broadcast signal.
They won’t need WiFi to access the information. It’s basically like watching something on television.
This technology, the governor says, is not a replacement for broadband, it’s only a viable option until broadband can be expanded.
Superintendent Molly Spearman says they’ve distributed 80,000 mobile hotspots across the state, but that adds up to 5,000 students who may be out of reach of those hot-spots.
That’s who will benefit from the data-casting program.
“Our economic prosperity is directly based on educational strength,” Governor McMaster said. “So, if we are going to be prosperous, healthy and happy, that means we must educate thse children and we are going to do everything we can to see that every child in South Carolina gets a first class education. This is part of a broad plan, this is not something that happened overnight.”
The equipment includes inexpensive tuners and TV antennas that will transmit files to computers and smart devices.
Those with SCETV say work on the project began in the spring.
