Managed IT Servicesin Summerville, SC

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — A Summerville man became the first person in South Carolina to undergo potentially life-changing gene therapy.

The treatment took place Thursday morning at Prisma Health’s Hemophilia Treatment Center in Columbia.

Thirty-eight-year-old Brent Maloy was diagnosed with the rare bleeding disorder Hemophilia B as a baby — a condition that’s negatively affected him his entire life.

“It’s been just a constant thing I had to deal with,” he says.

The genetic condition means Brent is missing crucial proteins that helps the blood to clot, (sometimes referred to as Factor Nine proteins) causing normal activities to become potentially dangerous.

Dr. Stephanie Ambrose says for most patients that means constantly hooking themselves up to an IV at home.

“They typically are having to infuse themselves sometimes all the way up to several times a week to several times a month. And they are prone to having significant issues with bleeding, joint bleeds, muscle bleeds, nose bleeds, things of that nature,” she says.

But those at-home intravenous treatments may soon end for Brent. He’s being given a medicine that’s only been on the market for two years now, known as Hemgenix.

Total cost of Hemgenix before insurance is $3.5 million.

If successful, Dr. Ambrose and Nurse Robin Jones say the “one and done” treatment will raise the needed Factor Nine proteins in Brent’s liver, allowing his blood to clot naturally throughout his body.

The best part? The effects may last for the rest of Brent’s life.

“As for changing my life, if everything works well, it means I can finally live my life like a normal person and not have to take any more injections, unless I have to get vaccines!” he jokes.

Dr. Ambrose says those at-home IV treatments add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, making the hefty price tag of Hemgenix cheaper over a lifetime.

For the next few years, Brent will be closely monitored to determine how successful the treatment is.

“So our hope for this therapy is if we can get his Factor Nine levels to a more sustainable level, to where he’s not having to give himself IV medications, then day to day life will look much better. He’ll be much better protected against bleeding episodes, and for many patients their quality of life will improve because they can be much more active than they’ve been in the past,” says Dr. Ambrose.

Prisma Health’s Hemophilia Treatment Center is the only center in the state that is currently federally approved to offer Hemgenix.

What is the best internet provider in Summerville?

The best internet service provider in Summerville, South Carolina, is AT&T Fiber. The area’s largest fiber internet provider, AT&T, offers a wide selection of competitively priced plans, including the fastest in Summerville, with speeds up to 5,000 megabits per second. Service includes free equipment rental, unlimited data and no contract requirements, perks that aren’t all available from other wired ISPs in Summerville.

If AT&T Fiber is unavailable, or you’re looking for a cheaper internet service, you might consider several cable ISPs. Spectrum, WideOpenWest (WOW) and Xfinity are all available to some extent in Summerville, and each is worth considering. Spectrum offers the broadest coverage, whereas Xfinity and WOW offer the most economical starting prices for internet service in Summerville, beginning at $20 per month for speeds of up to 75Mbps and 100Mbps, respectively.

For an alternative to traditional fiber and cable connections, consider fixed wireless internet from Verizon 5G Home Internet or T-Mobile Home Internet. The latter has slightly better coverage in Summerville, but Verizon 5G Home Internet has potentially faster speeds and two plans. Both are decent options and both currently offer mobile bundle discounts.

Best internet in Summerville, South Carolina

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Summerville

The best internet deals and the top promotions in Summerville depend on discounts available during a given period. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.

Summerville internet providers, such as Xfinity, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many providers, including AT&T Fiber, Spectrum and WOW, run the same standard pricing year-round.

For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What’s a good internet speed?

Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you're looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you'll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here's an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Summerville

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What’s our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

It doesn’t end there: We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of the time of publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When it comes to selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees, and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and take into account real-world speed data from sources like Ookla (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis) and FCC reports.

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

Internet providers in Summerville FAQs

What is the best internet service provider in Summerville, South Carolina?

AT&T Fiber’s local fiber coverage, plan variety and straightforward pricing help make it the best internet provider in Summerville. The ISP has a record of high customer satisfaction ratings from the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Additionally, J.D. Power scored AT&T Fiber among the top ISPs in the South region in 2023, second only to Google Fiber.

Is fiber internet available in Summerville?

Fiber internet is available to roughly 43% of Summerville households, according to the FCC. Serviceability is greatest around the Salisbury Acres, Chandler Lakes and White Gables communities, although fiber service can be found in random neighborhoods throughout Summerville. AT&T Fiber is the largest fiber internet provider in Summerville.

Who is the cheapest internet provider in Summerville?

WideOpenWest and Xfinity share the lowest starting price for internet in Summerville at $20 per month, but WOW offers a slightly higher maximum speed at 100Mbps compared to 75Mbps from Xfinity. Additionally, WOW has a cheaper equipment rental fee ($10 versus $15, but equipment rental is optional with both ISPs) and a higher data cap than Xfinity. While both providers have a decent selection of cheap internet plans, WOW is the better choice for cheap internet in Summerville.