State, local organizations ask Commerce Dept. to reinstate Digital Equity Act
In a letter Wednesday to Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick and Adam Cassady, acting administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, more than 140 state and local organizations asked for the Digital Equity Act to be reinstated.
The letter, led by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, was signed by 156 people representing the 140 organizations that serve communities across 39 states. Along with community organizations, signatories include officials from Portland, Oregon; San Jose, California; Easthampton, Massachusetts; along with officials from Chester County, Pennsylvania, and Napa County, California.
The letter claims the act’s cancellation could leave residents and some businesses behind on issues of economic opportunity, education, health care and online safety. It cites a finding from the Census Bureau’s most recent American Community Survey that 31 million American households face significant barriers to accessing affordable high-speed internet, affordable devices and the digital skills needed participate in the digital economy.
The request is a response to President Donald Trump’s announcement last month that he was ending the program. Trump described it as “unconstitutional” and a “giveaway” based on race. The act, which funded digital skills training, workforce readiness, device access and technical support for residents at the state and local level, was enabled by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.
“We, the undersigned organizations, have a proven track record of helping members of our communities overcome the obstacles that keep them online,” the letter read. “If the funding is reinstated, our shovel-ready projects will help disconnected people in rural, suburban, urban, and Tribal communities in all 56 US States and Territories access telehealth services, strengthen small businesses, increase government efficiency, learn new AI skills, and advance our communities’ economic competitiveness.”
The act supported measures to close the digital divide through three grant programs totaling $2.75 billion: the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program, the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program and the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program. States were notified shortly after Trump’s announcement that the funding they were set to receive had been terminated.
The NDIA joins others to have raised concerns of the program’s cancellation, including Maine lawmakers, who shortly after Trump’s announcement co-authored a letter urging the Commerce Department to unfreeze the $35 million in federal funds the state was set to receive through the act’s programs. Aaron Wheeler, director of the Washington State Broadband Office, said last month that the cancellation would be a “serious setback” for his state’s connectivity goals.
“We request that you reverse the cancellation and reinstate the full $2.75 billion allocated in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for all states and territories via the Capacity Grant Program and the individual projects supported by the Competitive Grant Program,” the letter continued. “Reinstating these funds is a common-sense, fiscally smart, pro-growth decision that ensures our workforce and businesses remain competitive. The funds are vital to driving positive change and creating a future where everyone has access to the opportunities the digital world offers.”
