One program is distributing laptops in rural Iowa. After Hurricane Helen washed away computers and phones in western North Carolina, another person helped get back online. The Oregon and rural Alabama programs teach older people who have never been exposed to computers, including how to navigate the increasingly digital world.
All crashed this month when President Trump announced his intention to end federal grant programs aimed at closing the digital gap, Truth Social, on his own digital platform. He branded it as “racist and illegal” and described it as “waking up handouts based on race.” He said it was an “illegal $2.5 billion giveaway.” The program was funded for $2.75 billion.
The name looked harmless enough when the program was approved by Congress in 2021 as part of a $65 billion investment aimed at bringing internet access to all US households and businesses. The broadband program was a key component of the $1 trillion infrastructure law enacted under the Biden administration.
The digital equity law was intended to bridge the gap and cover the unmet needs that emerged during the large-scale broadband deployment. It provided the states and tribes with the flexibility to provide high-speed internet access to families who could not afford it, computers for children who did not have them, remote access to rural seniors, and training and job skills for veterans.
It remains unclear whether Trump has legal authority to terminate the program. But for now, the Republican administration can simply stop spending money.
“It felt heartbreaking that we were finally heading towards digital disparity in this country,” said Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, a awarded nonprofit organization. “Digital disparity allows you to use it to do what you need, not just physical access to the internet.”
The word “fair”
The program’s name probably targets it, but while the Trump administration has been actively scrubbing programs that promote diversity, equity or inclusion, the scope of the digital equity law was considered to be wider.
Trump called it racist, but the words “racial” or “racial” appear only two times. Along with “color, religion, origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or disability,” the text states that the group should not be excluded from funding. It has since been listed on the list of covered populations: seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, English learners, people with low literacy levels, and rural Americans.
“Digital equity was passed with overwhelmingly bipartisan support,” said Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, a leading supporter of the law, in a statement. “That’s because my Republican colleagues heard the same story as me. Just as kids in the rural community were forced to drive to McDonald’s parking lot for Wi-Fi to do their homework.
“It’s insane that Trump is blocking resources so that rural school districts can get hotspots and laptops.
The National Communications and Information Agency, which administers the program, declined to comment. In March 2024, there was an allocation of $811 million to states, territories and tribes, but it is not clear how many of the $2.75 billion was awarded.
“More Confidence”
On a recent morning in Portland, Oregon, Brandon Dawn was among those taking basic keyboard classes offered by Free Geek, a nonprofit organization that offers free courses to help people learn to use computers. This class was offered in low-income residential buildings to make it accessible to residents.
Dawn and others were given a laptop, showing various functions of the key: control, shift, caplock, how to copy and paste. They played a typing game where they taught fingers and key placement on a color-coded keyboard.
Dawn, 63, said the class helped because “at this day and age, everything needs to go through a computer.” He said he helped him feel more confident and dependent on his children and grandchildren, and he helped him do things like booking online.
“People of my age, we were so busy with work that we were raising our families, so we didn’t get this luxury,” he said. “So this is a great way to help us help ourselves.”
Juan Muro, executive director of Free Geek, said participants will get the tools and skills they need to access online banking, recruitment applications, online education programs, telehealth and more. He said Trump’s final fundraising move puts nonprofits, such as free nerds, in a precarious position, forcing them to make up for differences through fundraising, and “seeks money to provide what’s essential to individuals.”
Sara Nichols works for the Land of Sky Regional Council, a multi-county planning and development organization in western North Carolina. On the Friday before Trump took office in January, the organization received notice that the grant was approved. But like any other group contacted by the Associated Press, it doesn’t look at the money.
Land of Sky was spending many resources to help people recover from last year’s storm. Nichols said the award notification came as “incredible news.”
“But between this and the nation, we feel just stuck, with the end of their letters. What are we going to do? How are we going to move forward? How do we continue to delay our community?”
Filling unmet needs
According to rural communities, that number jumps to 27% because more than a fifth of Americans do not have broadband internet access in their homes.
In addition to providing access to technology and high-speed internet, many programs funded by the Digital Equity Act sought to provide “digital navigators.”
“In the US, we don’t have a consistent source of funding to help individuals get online. We know how to be safe online and how to use that technology to achieve everything we need now as part of our online life,” including providing an internet hotspot for families, getting it online at home and helping seniors avoid online scams, she said.
“Health, the workforce, education, work, everything, is that right?” Sheifer said. “This law will be a start for the US to grasp this issue. This is a new issue in the big scheme of things, as technology is no longer great. You need to have the internet and know how to use it to survive to thrive today.”
Siefer said the term “fairness” in the name probably encouraged Trump to target the program for elimination.
“But that means he didn’t actually see what the program was doing,” she said. “Who doesn’t want grandmas to be safe online? Who can’t talk to doctors rather than veterans driving in their car for two hours? Who can’t do homework to students?”
Writing Ortutay and Rush Write for the Associated Press, reported from San Francisco and Portland, ore. , each.
