Trump called a high-speed internet program a handout ‘based on race’ and ‘illegal.’ That’s False.

President Donald Trump called a Biden-era law to expand high-speed internet access "racist" and "illegal." We asked the White House and federal departments involved in the program for evidence to support Trump’s statement and received no reply. Although Trump referred to the law as "illegal," organizations familiar with it said they are unaware of any court challenges to it. The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to bring affordable broadband to everyone, wrote that President Trump cannot declare the law unconstitutional: "That is the sole purview of the courts. The Administration’s responsibility is to implement the law as written." Under the law, every state received money to write digital equity plans describing in detail how they planned to expand broadband access. The Trump administration sent letters May 9 to states and organizations terminating grants. Trump’s direction to cancel a program approved by Congress will likely face a court challenge. The act says high-speed internet expansion should benefit several groups in addition to racial minorities, including veterans, older Americans and rural residents. "The truth is, equity is not just for communities of color," Zaki Barzinji, senior director at Aspen Digital, which is part of the Aspen Institute, told GovTech.com. "It's not just for urban city communities. It's also for rural communities. It's for mostly white communities."