- Trump called the Digital Equity Act “unconstitutional” amid the admin’s broader anti-DEI push
- Experts warned that reversing the law could make the digital divide worse
- The White House still hasn’t decided what to do with BEAD, where digital equity is a core component
President Donald Trump wants to do away with the $2.75 billion Digital Equity Act, a move that’s hardly surprising but could hinder efforts to close the U.S. digital divide.
In a Truth Social post Thursday, Trump declared the Digital Equity Act, a law passed in 2021 as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), “racist” and “totally unconstitutional.” He said he intends to end the funding “immediately.”
The Digital Equity Act is made up of three grant programs overseen by NTIA. They aim to help states, territories and Tribal entities ensure that their communities have the skills and technology required to “reap the full benefits of our digital economy.”
DEI under fire
Trump’s call to end funding comes as the administration undertakes efforts to scrub diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives from both the public and private sectors. The Federal Communications Commission has also probed telecom companies Comcast, Verizon and T-Mobile over their DEI programs.
Naturally, digital inclusion advocates and broadband policy experts are in an uproar.
Gigi Sohn, executive director of the American Association for Public Broadband, posted on LinkedIn, “What is ILLEGAL and UNCONSTITUTIONAL is ‘ending’ digital equity funding authorized by a bipartisan Congress in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. It also undermines past, current and future government and private sector investment in broadband - networks are more valuable when more people can use them.”
Similarly, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) and Public Knowledge warned ending the Digital Equity Act would halt progress in closing the digital divide and hurt communities in both red and blue states.
“We call on leaders in Congress and across the country to reject this shortsighted move,” said NDIA Executive Director Angela Siefer. “Digital equity is not partisan. It is essential.”
U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wa.), who first introduced the Digital Equity Act in 2019, also slammed Trump’s decision, pointing out the law was passed with “overwhelming bipartisan support.”
“It is absolutely insane that resources meant to help red and blue communities—everyone from local school districts and libraries to workforce training programs and Tribes—close the digital divide will be illegally blocked because the President doesn’t like the word equity,” Murray said in a statement.
No word yet on Trump’s plans for BEAD
The Trump administration still hasn’t decided what to do with the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, where digital equity is a core component.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in March said he is conducting a “rigorous review” of the current BEAD framework, a move that would likely shift funds from fiber to more satellite broadband and other wireless technologies.
Given the administration’s anti-DEI efforts, the Commerce Department may also seek to dial down BEAD’s digital equity requirements. A bill proposed by the House in March even called for replacing “Equity” with “Expansion” in the BEAD acronym.
The telecom industry initially expected to hear news on BEAD changes sometime this month. However, the Senate’s confirmation hearing of NTIA nominee Arielle Roth signaled the decision could be delayed until June or even July, said New Street Research Policy Analyst Blair Levin.
“The Commerce Department wants to do more than simply remove the requirements that they don’t like,” he said in a note this week. “After all, if that were all it wanted to do it could have done so quickly and avoided the potential political pain.”