Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program

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.

This issue brief describes the anticipated increased demand for the broadband workforce as a result of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program—and examines the primary barriers to the growth of that workforce. Key findings include:

In 2023, Virginian John Boyd’s combine caught fire while harvesting grain, and he was in a dead zone. He had to walk a mile and a half just to find cellular service. By then, the fire had destroyed his combine. “A complete loss, and insurance wouldn’t pay,” Boyd said. Internet access is more than a convenience for farmers and ranchers. It’s become critical infrastructure, and not only for emergency situations.

After the federal government canceled a major grant program over the summer, Pennsylvania digital equity orgs are struggling to stay afloat. The now-terminated $2.75 billion Digital Equity Act (DEA) would’ve distributed millions of dollars to Pennsylvania, helping to provide access to the internet, devices and digital skills programming.

The work of digital navigators across the country was to be propped up by a $2.75 billion federal program that was abruptly canceled this spring.

“We all benefit when we are all connected—when workers connect with employers, patients connect with doctors, students connect with teachers, and small businesses connect with customers. That’s what Congress designed the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program to deliver—connectivity and opportunity for all," said Executive Director Dr. Revati Prasad. “NDIA’s action today is an unfortunately necessary step to restoring Congress’s intention.

The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), represented by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the Trump Administration’s repeal of the Digital Equity Act Competitive Grant Program.

In 2024, the FBI reported that annual rates of elder fraud increased 14% from 2022 to 2023. Tech support scams and personal data breaches were the top causes, of which there were over 25,000 complaints. These scams culminated in $3.4 billion in losses, averaging about $30,000 per victim. The Digital Equity Act—part of 2021's larger Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—helped fund education programs to prevent fraud.

We’re less than eight months into the new administration, and considering that short amount of time, an unprecedented amount of deregulation has been coming out of the federal government related to broadband and telecommunications issues. Regulatory changes aren’t just coming from the Federal Communications Commission, but also from the White House, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Congress, and other agencies like the Federal Trade Commission. Just a few of the deregulatory changes that have happened so far:

When you think of Western North Carolina, you probably think about the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains, tubing down the French Broad River, boating on Lake Lure, or having a drink in one of Asheville’s many famous breweries.