Kelcie Lee

The lawsuit over the Trump administration’s suspension of grants from the $2.75 billion program to close the digital divide may come to a pause. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) filed a motion to put its lawsuit suing President Donald Trump on hold because there is a similar case further along that would control the outcome. 

Experts say the federal government needs to release the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program’s $21 billion in remaining funds before time runs out. Five panelists shared their insights with Moderator Jimm Phillips at the 2026 BEAD Implementation Summit. Comcast State Government Affairs Vice President Lyndsay Moyer said funds that take too long to be distributed often fall to default, which must be prevented to ensure states can use these funds as “Congressionally intended to close the access gap once and for all,” she noted.

Federal Communications Commissioner Anna Gomez said the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the last major federal effort to create a regulatory framework for technology. Commissioner Gomez hosted a 30th Anniversary of the 96 Act webinar to celebrate and reflect on the Tlaw. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Commissioner Gomez shared opening remarks at the event, detailing the successes and challenges that the law created for the country’s technology and communications sector.

Rep Jennifer McClellan (D-VA) said her biggest challenge as a policymaker is getting colleagues to care about modernizing the Telecommunications Act of 1996, a law she feels no longer applies due to rapid technological growth. At nonprofit Public Knowledge’s event celebrating the Telecommunications Act of 1996 at 30, Rep McClellan said she was frustrated that the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology is not prioritizing updating the law.