A Review of Digital Equity Provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

This is our 6th entry in Keller & Heckman's blog series on the major provisions of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Previous blog entries examined the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, the $1 billion Middle Mile grant program, the Act’s support for broadband partnerships, the Affordable Connectivity Program, and the Act’s key cybersecurity provisions. This post reviews the Act’s provisions aimed at promoting digital equity by increasing broadband adoption and accessibility. The Digital Equity Act (DEA) (enacted as §§ 60301 – 60307-the IIJA) allocates $2.75 billion to promote digital equity and digital inclusion. The DEA establishes three new grant programs to be administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA): (1) State Digital Equity Planning Grants, (2) State Digital Equity Capacity Grants, and (3) Digital Equity Competitive Grants. Each is briefly summarized in this entry.