Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program

Cities, counties, nonprofits, libraries, community colleges, and workforce organizations waiting to learn whether the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program is coming back now have a glimmer of hope, albeit a soft one.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act provided budget authorities for transportation, infrastructure, and energy projects. Together, the four agencies selected for this review—the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and Department of Transportation—obligated a majority of their IIJA or IRA funding.

On July 22, 2026, the U.S. Government Accountability Office—the audit and investigative arm of Congress—released a report describing what happened to money Congress appropriated in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act after the Trump administration ordered agencies to review that money against its own priorities.

On July 15, 2026, Judge John D. Bates of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a decision that could revive a federal grant program the President declared dead more than a year ago. In National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) v. Trump (Civil Action No. 25-3606), the court held that the Digital Equity Act of 2021 contains an unconstitutional racial classification, but that this single flaw does not doom the law.

Jeff Bezos—along with newly minted trillionaire Elon Musk—has become one of the biggest beneficiaries of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD), a $42.45 billion broadband expansion program passed as part of President Joe Biden’s 2021 “Build Back Better” initiative.

Angela Siefer discusses the impact the cancellation of Digital Equity Act funds has had on digital equity and inclusion organizations and initiatives over the last year, and the ongoing efforts underway to get that funding restored. Those efforts include the National Digital Inclusion Alliance's decision to sue the Trump administration over the canceled program.

On May 8, 2025, the largest investment to expand affordable broadband, digital skills training, and technical support in U.S. history experienced a major disruption when federal support for the Digital Equity Act was terminated. Overnight, the $2.75 billion bipartisan Act designed to strengthen families, communities, and our economy was disolved. This left state agencies and local grantees scrambling without anticipated funding, and millions of people without the immediate tools and skills to fully participate in our modern world.

Broadband is critical to Pennsylvania’s economy, public services, and quality of life, enabling access to work, education, healthcare, and government services. Its importance is especially pronounced in rural and post-industrial communities, where connectivity supports economic opportunity and access to essential resources. Yet major gaps remain: over 130,000 locations lack broadband access, and roughly 2 million households struggle to afford service.

On May 29, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget proposes to revise the Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance. The proposals might be among the most consequential changes to federal grant administration in more than a decade, particularly in the breadth of its policy conditions.

If the U.S. wants to lead in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, we need a connected, digitally skilled public. Building infrastructure is only half the equation—people need the tools, training and support to actually use it. The $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program is still deploying physical broadband infrastructure; without the Digital Equity Act’s companion $2.75 billion investments in digital adoption and skills, much of that infrastructure risks going underutilized.