MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA RESEACH/CONTACTS

1. MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINARESEACH/CONTACTS Rachel Karash Program Developer: Lynda Goff

2. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina • Library Connection – School and Fire Station • Adoption Issue • Urban/Rural Area is unserverd and undeserved • MRI Connectivity – Uneven • Myrtle Beach 48.8% • Horry County 49% • South Carolina 49.5%

3. Library • Library • Broadband service in South Carolina is reportedly available to 94% of households across the state, with around 43% adoption. South Carolina is also said to be the first state in the nation to make Internet access available in every library, and one of the first to provide access in every school. • While the City of Myrtle Beach does not appear to have its own municipal broadband initiative in place, or under consideration, local service provider Horry Telephone Cooperative (HTC) offers 3G wireless broadband, high‐speed cable and DSL Internet services, and fiber‐to‐the‐home technology. Both Verizon Wireless and Alltel have expanded their EV‐DO wireless networks to Myrtle Beach.

4. Myrtle Beach, SC Education • Education • The state of South Carolina has an opportunity to develop a statewide wireless broadband (WiMAX) “cloud” over the entire state, and the government is working on solutions on how to best utilize the state’s educational television licenses and related transmission towers that will become available for use in 2009. • The City of Myrtle Beach does not appear to have its own municipal broadband initiative in place or under consideration, but an August 2007 newspaper article states the city “currently has a private wireless service that police officers and other city staff use in the downtown area,” and that HTC (Horry Telephone Cooperative, Inc.) is “watching the city’s wireless zone as a pilot project for a public one.” • Horry County Initiatives include the county’s efforts to develop “a system to connect county facilities, municipalities and other key locations on a county‐owned fiber network.” The project in 2004‐05 was “nearing completion” and was to “provide a high‐speed, digital backbone to share data and resources”; the county’s Adopted Capital Improvement Plan, 2009‐2013, also lists the fiber network in its summary of major projects for every year of the five‐year plan.

5. Horry County Fire Department • Horry County Fire Station • The County E911 Center has recently upgraded to the newest Motorola CAD System.  With this system, we will be able to provide more detailed descriptions of the calls in which we respond.  Anything that is listed for 2006 will be available shortly.  • Horry County Fire Department Contact • Garry B, Aderman, Fire Rescue Chief • Email: alderman@horrycounty.org • Motorola Contacts • Phone: (888) 567-7347 • Hyperlink: www.motorola.com/publicsafety • Hyperlink: www.motorola.com/missioncritical/datasolutions

6. Connectivity • MRI Connectivity • Myrtle Beach 48.8% • Horry County 49% • South Carolina 49.5% • 23.63% connect to the Internet from home through a cable modem • 20.59% connect to the Internet from home through DSL connection • 10.21% connect to the Internet from home through dial-up model • 8.85% connect to the Internet from home through wireless connection

7. Horry County has a Per Captia Income of a range between $20,000 and $29,000 in 2006 Source; Rupri.org; Date Accessed: November 23, 2009

8. Horry County has an unemployment rate between 4.6% to 6.9% in 2007 Source; Rupri.org; Date Accessed: November 23, 2009

9. The estimated percent of Horry County’s population in poverty in 2007 is between 13% and 19.9% Source; Rupri.org; Date Accessed: November 23, 2009