National Public Radio

For groups working to bridge the digital divide, the Trump administration's decision not to release Digital Equity Act grant funds has meant disruption or cancellation of programs that try to help people get and stay online. The $2.75 billion program was meant to teach people how to do everything from using a health care portal to finding a job, but President Trump labeled the program racist and ended it. Nonprofits soon learned the grants that they had won would not be coming. A look at who's affected and how.

If you have a mobile phone, you have no doubt seen some dodgy texts. They might declare that you have an overdue road toll, and urge you to "Click here to pay." Or maybe they inform you that there's a package waiting, but the address is wrong; "Click here to fix it."More often than not, these texts are scams. The websites you are directed to are fakes, often decked out with a misappropriated Google logo to trick you into typing in sensitive payment or sign-in information. It's called a "phishing" attack—or "smishing" when it's done via SMS. And now Google has had it with scammers.

For years, federal and state governments have been working to expand internet connectivity, especially in rural communities. In 2023, Congress allocated about $42 billion for states through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program. States were gearing up to start those projects, but in June, the Trump administration pressed pause and issued new guidance. Mike Sanders, the executive director of the Oklahoma Broadband Office, says his state's plans had to change. The Trump administration wanted states to consider different types of technology and the lowest cost options.