Digital Literacy

A federal judge in July gave digital equity advocates a partial victory against President Donald Trump, stopping his attempt to unilaterally kill a multibillion-dollar grant program Congress created. But U.S. District Judge John D. Bates, in a 35-page opinion, also agreed with the administration that it was unconstitutional for the government to use race or ethnicity as the basis to award money under a program created to expand internet skills and access.

For Headlines readers who got nervous for me this morning, I’m fine, but… After five years, today is my last day working at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. When I was in college, one of my professors told me to subscribe to a newsletter, Benton’s Daily Digest (or “Headlines,” to me and to many). I thought it was crazy that such a comprehensive resource was published each morning, five days a week. Less than a year later, it became my job to put Headlines together every day.

Earlier this month, we reported that the Department of Commerce told a federal court it would reinstate the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program and was targeting a December 2026 opening. Three things have happened since. The parties agreed to pause the litigation and put their remaining disagreements on the record. Judge John D. Bates set the dates by which the government must report its progress.

In a joint status report filed August 17, 2026, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) and the U.S.

Governor JB Pritzker (D-IL) signed the Children’s Social Media Safety Act (HB5511), a sweeping set of protections designed to keep Illinois kids safe online. The bill establishes comprehensive safeguards for children against the most addictive social media platform features and strengthens protections for minors.

Using the 2014-2021 waves of Spain's ICT-H household panel, we track Internet trust for 59,648 users across 130,013 person-year observations. Employing a correlated random-effects ordered-probit model, we find that improvements in digital skills and first-hand use of transactional services are the strongest predictors of higher reported trust, while traditional socio-economic markers show comparatively weaker associations.

We commend NDIA’s commitment and courage in bringing the case. This decision is a significant but incomplete victory for those of us committed to meaningful connectivity for all. Congress was right to recognize the historical disparities in access and adoption of critical connectivity tools—and to address these inequities with thoughtful planning and funding. We disagree with the court’s decision that considering the connectivity needs of racial or ethnic minorities constitutes an unconstitutional race-based classification.

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.

This publication that sets out a new financial logic for sustaining digital adoption programs in the United States, arguing that digital adoption programs are essential services that create measurable economic value that benefits a range of sectors.

Since its early days, nonprofit organization Can Code Communities (Can Code) has been focused on growing the information technology talent pipeline in New York State and beyond. Can Code was founded in 2016 in Albany, New York. Ten years later, the organization continues to encourage “trainees” of all ages to explore careers in the technology sector, providing opportunities for all ages and levels of digital literacy. Can Code began as an effort to empower adult learners to acquire the job skills necessary to join the expanding tech workforce.