President Donald Trump announced plans to terminate the Digital Equity Act, a program aimed at increasing internet access in underserved communities.

The initiative, created under the Biden administration’s infrastructure law, allocated US$2.75 billion in grants through the NTIA to improve digital tools in marginalized areas.

Trump criticized the program as unconstitutional, calling it “racist and illegal” for providing grants based on race.

The administration has not shared details on the timeline or process for ending the program.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ The digital divide represents a persistent national challenge with documented impacts

Research shows approximately 14.5 million Americans (with some estimates as high as 42 million) lack access to minimum standard broadband internet, with rural and tribal communities disproportionately affected1.

About 14% of homes with school-age children lack consistent internet access, with these gaps falling heavily along income and racial lines2.

The United Nations declared internet access a basic human right in 2016, recognizing its fundamental role in economic participation, education, and civic engagement3.

Studies have consistently demonstrated that limited connectivity creates cascading disadvantages in education, healthcare access, and economic opportunity, making digital access an infrastructure issue similar to electricity or water1.

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically highlighted these disparities when remote schooling, telemedicine, and work-from-home arrangements became essential, creating what many experts called a “homework gap” for students without reliable internet2.

2️⃣ Digital equity initiatives have evolved through bipartisan infrastructure efforts

The Digital Equity Act was initially introduced in 2019 during the Trump administration before being reintroduced and passed in 2021 as part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act4.

The current program’s $2.75 billion funding represents a fraction of the larger $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program also contained in the infrastructure package5.

Federal efforts to address digital inequities date back decades, with libraries serving as critical access points (nearly all public libraries offer free internet access) and agencies like HUD incorporating broadband requirements into public housing6.