In mid-May, the Trump Administration, through U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), terminated the Digital Equity Capacity Program. In Illinois, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) was in the process of implementing a Digital Equity Capacity Grant under this Program.
Broadband news digest for May 22, 2025
Top broadband leaders in Illinois are concerned that changes to the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program could leave rural communities unconnected. Mandated changes—if they come from either Congress or the U.S. Department of Commerce—could force states to rerun their entire BEAD sub-grantee selection processes.
Maine’s congressional delegation is urging the Commerce Department to reverse its freeze of nearly $35 million in grant funding intended to expand digital access for low-income and rural Mainers. In a letter sent to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and acting Administrator Adam Cassady, the delegation noted that Maine is among the most rural states in the country, leaving its residents particularly vulnerable. “Maine is especially affected by this decision, which will have an outsized impact on Maine families, small businesses and communities.
After years of effort and some frustrating delays, Amazon’s dream of delivering high-speed internet to some of the remotest places on Earth quite literally got off the ground in April. A United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket dropped Kuiper’s 27 satellites 450km above the Earth, from where they will climb to their final orbit at 630km. The successful deployment marked more than the birth of a new internet service provider.
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