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South Carolina ETV asks state subcommittee for $10.3 million in capital and nonrecurring funds, plus recurring staff support
Summary
South Carolina ETV presented to the Public Education and Special Schools Subcommittee asking for $5.4 million in capital, $4.6 million in nonrecurring and $304,705 in recurring FTE funding to finish a multi‑year HVAC replacement and to modernize control rooms, fire suppression, security and tower management.
Adrienne Farewell, president and CEO of South Carolina ETV, told the Public Education and Special Schools Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee that the network is seeking new state funding to complete facility upgrades and expand operations.
The agency asked for $5,400,000 in capital requests, $4,600,000 in nonrecurring requests and $304,705 in one recurring request for FTEs. Farewell said last year the agency received $5,000,000 for HVAC replacement and repair as part of a multi‑phase effort and that this year’s $5,000,000 request would be the final phase.
The request list, presented by Farewell and South Carolina ETV staff, prioritized: (1) $5,000,000 to complete HVAC replacement and repair across facilities; (2) $3,000,000 to modernize and consolidate control rooms so the agency can free its mobile control unit for revenue‑generating work; (3) $400,000 to replace a water‑based fire suppression system with a chemical agent that the agency says will not damage archived materials or equipment; (4) $1,600,000 for security upgrades including remote cameras, mass communication and access controls at transmitter sites; and (5) funding to expand tower asset management staff to move from roughly 1.5 part‑time workers to three full‑time positions to better oversee statewide vertical assets and increase revenue generation from tower leases.
Farewell said the network has received transparency initiative funding and used it to upfit committee rooms and equipment: the agency reported $1,000,000 for equipment and $821,410 for FTEs tied to streaming and maintenance, and said it has held about $500,000 for future equipment maintenance. Agency staff told the committee that South Carolina ETV streamed roughly 350 committee meetings in fiscal year 2024 and that 14 House rooms and four Senate rooms are now permanently available for live streaming.
On towers, Farewell said the agency currently oversees roughly 500 towers with part‑time staff while Department of Administration data show approximately 5,000 towers in the state; the tower management program presently generates about $1,000,000 in revenue and the agency argued additional staff would increase both oversight and revenue.
Committee members asked about cybersecurity and outside funding sources. Farewell said the agency is working with the State Department of Information Technology to strengthen cybersecurity after a recent IT audit. When asked whether the agency receives federal E‑rate program funding, Darlene Gathers, chief financial officer, answered, “No, sir. We do not receive any e rate funding.”
Committee members also praised the network’s archival work and supported the fire suppression request as important to protect archival materials that the agency described as the state’s historical broadcast records.
No formal subcommittee vote on SCETV’s funding requests was recorded in the presentation; Farewell’s delegation left the meeting after fielding questions and the subcommittee moved on to the next agenda item.
