SCETA launches statewide framework for South Carolina’s digital future

The South Carolina Emerging Tech Association has launched ASCENDSC™, a framework meant to guide South Carolina’s response to AI, digital infrastructure, energy, privacy and related policy issues. SCETA says the initiative will shape legislative and regulatory work ahead of a forum in Charleston on Sept. 17, 2026.

Why it matters: - ASCENDSC™ is meant to give South Carolina a common policy framework for AI, compute, energy, identity, privacy, payments and rural development. - SCETA says the initiative is designed to help policymakers, utilities, businesses, educators, investors, local governments and residents evaluate tradeoffs with transparency and public trust in mind. - The framework comes as digital infrastructure, power demand and data governance are becoming connected policy issues across the state.

What happened: - The South Carolina Emerging Tech Association announced the formal launch of ASCENDSC™ on July 27, 2026, in Charleston. - SCETA described ASCENDSC as a statewide framework for South Carolina’s transition to an AI-enhanced and increasingly digital economy. - SCETA said the framework brings together work on artificial intelligence, compute infrastructure, energy, digital identity, payments, privacy, digital assets, rural development and constitutional protections. - Dennis Fassuliotis, SCETA’s president, said South Carolina is no longer debating isolated technologies and needs a practical framework to address AI, energy, compute, identity, payments, privacy, workforce development and capital formation together. - SCETA tied the launch to its statewide Public Listening Initiative, which asked South Carolinians about digital infrastructure, surveillance, energy, property rights, privacy, digital identity and economic growth.

The details: - From June 1 through July 27, the campaign generated more than 47,300 Facebook views, 389 content interactions and conversations across more than 30 South Carolina community groups. - SCETA said the responses pointed to recurring concerns about clear standards, transparency, ratepayer protection, property-owner protection, responsible use of natural resources and public input on community-changing decisions. - ASCENDSC serves as the umbrella for several SCETA initiatives. - SCALE™ focuses on standards for siting, energy, cost responsibility, environmental stewardship, security and community accountability for major infrastructure projects. - PIEC™ links payments, identity, energy and compute as foundational layers of the digital economy. - FARM™ connects emerging technology investment to family land preservation, agricultural productivity, rural prosperity and market-based innovation. - The South Carolina Citizens’ Digital Bill of Rights™ proposes guardrails for privacy, identity, personal data, surveillance, transparency and digital property rights. - Freedom Tech™ advances innovation within constitutional protections and accountable governance. - SCETA posted framework materials and supporting resources in the ASCENDSC™ resource center. - SCETA said ASCENDSC is already informing legislative and regulatory work, including comments for the South Carolina Public Service Commission on cost causation, ratepayer protection, grid reliability, load flexibility, behind-the-meter generation and infrastructure accountability.

Between the lines: - SCETA is positioning ASCENDSC as a policy architecture, not a product pitch or one-company promotion. - The emphasis on trust, identity, privacy and ratepayer protections suggests SCETA expects public concern to shape how South Carolina adopts AI and infrastructure investments. - The framework also signals an effort to connect technology policy with rural land, utilities and constitutional issues instead of treating those debates separately. - Fassuliotis framed the initiative as a response to deepfakes and uncertainty about what is real in a digital environment.

What's next: - SCETA will make ASCENDSC a central focus of the ASCENDSC™ Forum on Sept. 17, 2026, in Charleston. - Leaders from government, industry, academia and the public are expected to discuss how South Carolina can become a national model for trusted digital infrastructure and responsible technology policy. - SCETA said the forum will continue the work of turning public feedback into policy and infrastructure planning.

The bottom line: - SCETA is trying to turn South Carolina’s AI and digital-policy debate into one coordinated statewide framework, with public trust and infrastructure accountability at the center.