PICKENS — Local communities in Oconee and Pickens counties with little to no internet access could have access to high-speed fiber service by the end of 2023, thanks to a multimillion-dollar grant awarded to provide service to rural and underserved areas.

Upcountry Fiber, an internet provider created by Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative and WCFIBER, a subsidiary of West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative, has been awarded a $24 million grant from the American Rescue Plan Act funds appropriation bill to increase service, according to a news release from

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