An initiative started under former President Biden to expand internet access in communities with lousy access might be on the rocks. President Trump said Thursday he intends to end the Digital Equity Act, reports Bloomberg. "No more woke handouts based on race!" Trump wrote in a scathing Truth Social post, one in which he also called the program "totally unconstitutional" and an "illegal" $2.5 billion giveaway. "I am ending this immediately," Trump wrote in all-caps.
However, the New York Times reports that court challenges are certain. The newspaper, along with Newsweek, notes that the law signed by Biden does not emphasize race. The measure was part of a $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed by Biden, and it's administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Its stated goal is to "ensure that all people and communities have the skills, technology, and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of our digital economy," according to an NTIA website.
Trump's move is part of his administration's sweeping push against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, but a post at Broadband Breakfast suggests that the internet-access initiative doesn't fit into the usual framework of DEI programs. The terms "digital inclusion" and "digital equity," it notes, "date back to the launch of the movement for public computer centers and ensuring that poorer, less-educated, and less tech-savvy individuals also enjoyed the benefits of computing and communication." It was not immediately clear if any grants had yet been canceled. (More Internet access stories.)
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