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ETV Commission Ratifies EBS Lease Agreements

For Immediate Release
November 25, 2009

Columbia, SC… At its quarterly meeting on Thursday, Nov. 19, the ETV Commission voted to ratify the Educational Broadband Service (EBS) lease agreements. This marked the final step in allowing the excess capacity of ETV's EBS spectrum to be leased to two telecommunications companies, Clearwire Spectrum Holdings III, LLC, and DigitalBridge Spectrum Corp.

Through the 30-year, $142.7 million contracts, Clearwire and DigitalBridge will begin the task of building the infrastructure necessary to expand wireless broadband connectivity throughout the state. The two companies will be able use 95 percent of this spectrum to offer businesses and residents access to this service, while ETV will retain the remaining five percent to continue providing the same level of educational services to schools around the state.

"We appreciate the good work of the EBS Commission that negotiated these agreements, and we are looking forward to working with the Budget and Control Board and both vendors on this project" said Robert Rainey, chairman of the ETV Commission. "This contract ushers in a new era of digital opportunities that will greatly benefit the citizens of South Carolina for many years to come."

ETV's EBS spectrum is wholly separate from the broadcast channels (ETV-HD, The South Carolina Channel, and ETV World) that bring such excellent programs as NOVA, Masterpiece Theatre, Sesame Street, Carolina Stories, The Big Picture, Making It Grow!, and more into homes across the state.

For an overview of the proposed lease agreements, please click here. Additional information can be obtained by visiting the EBS Commission's Web site at http://ebscommission.sc.gov/.

South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television and eight radio transmitters, and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.

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For more information, contact Rob Schaller at (803) 737-6556 or rschaller@scetv.org.