NTIA plans to restore Digital Equity Act funding, but what comes next?

After the Trump administration canceled the Digital Equity Act last May, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance sued the federal government. Now, more than a year later, there’s a path toward restoring at least some of that funding. In a joint status report filed last week, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration said it plans to reopen the program and restore funding — a development that could give communities and organizations working to close the digital divide some much-needed clarity.

But for Angela Siefer, executive director of NDIA, the potential restoration doesn’t undo what was lost during the past year, when programs were disrupted and communities were left uncertain about the future of federal digital equity funding.

“I find it kind of surprising that those who care about competitiveness have not recognized how important it is that we bring everybody along on this journey,” she said. “And so when the Digital Equity Act was canceled, it was a blow, not just to the NDIA and to all of our affiliates, but I feel like to the whole country because we really were on a path to be able to more clearly define which strategies work in which communities and under what circumstances.”

Top stories this week: 

A recent audit of Oregon’s decades-old prison information systems found that the aging tech threatens the corrections department’s ability to manage its prisons safely. The audit, which was released by the Oregon Secretary of State, found that the decades-old mission-critical systems that support inmate records, sentencing, parole and probation, security operations and other core functions pose growing operational risks if they are not modernized.  The auditors argued that the decades-old systems threaten the department’s ability to manage prisons safely, collect meaningful operational data and implement reforms. They urged state lawmakers to take action and make modernization a priority. 

As the 2026-2027 school year gets underway, the nonprofit Consortium for School Networking on Monday released a new, free guide to help school districts navigate the growing number of state and local policies regarding screen time and technology use in schools. A number of states, including Alabama, Iowa, Tennessee and Utah, have new rules on the books this school year, with some mandating districts institute written technology use or screen time policies with minutes-based use, or directing them to develop their own rules around things such as designated lesson use, AI use and age-appropriate use.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom on Tuesday announced the launch of a statewide Teen Tech Council, to give young people a bigger role in shaping conversations around technology, social media and digital wellness across the Golden State. The council’s launch comes as debates over youth technology use increasingly move beyond social media to include AI tools, online safety and the role of technology in schools.

New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.