Last month, advocates with the nonprofit National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) brought suit in federal court challenging the Trump administration’s repeal of Digital Equity Act funds. In this Q-and-A, National Skills Coalition Senior Fellow Amanda Bergson-Shilcock explains what happened, what it means for workforce and education advocates, and what comes next.
Q: What is the Digital Equity Act funding?
A: The bipartisan infrastructure legislation passed in 2021 included $2.75 billion in funding for the Digital Equity Act.
The money was split between formula funding that would be distributed to every state, and competitive grants that would be awarded on a discretionary basis. It was intended to help millions of Americans gain access to the internet and build digital skills. (See NSC’s original DE fact sheet from back in 2022).
States and advocates spent years preparing to make wise use of these funds, including hammering out detailed 5-year State Digital Equity Plans and building capacity to roll out new programs and services. By the beginning of 2025, states were anticipating the imminent release of funds and were poised to hit the ground running. Also ready to act were NDIA and other organizations that had been awarded competitive grants.
But as the spring wore on, no funds were released. Then, in May 2025, President Trump posted on social media that the Digital Equity Act was “unconstitutional” as well as “racist and illegal,” and canceled the funding.
Q: What are the consequences of canceling the DE funding?
A: The DE funding was supposed to help millions of Americans get access to the internet, obtain digital devices, and build digital skills. The “covered populations” who would have been served under the law included rural residents, veterans, older adults, low-income individuals, people with disabilities, and many other vulnerable groups.
The loss of this federal funding means that many state broadband offices and nonprofit organizations have laid off staff and canceled services that they had anticipated being able to provide with DE funding. It is a painful reversal of the steady progress that had been made by officials and advocates over the past several decades, and especially since the Covid-19 pandemic put digital inclusion issues into the spotlight.
Angela Siefer, executive director of NDIA, explains why her organization took action: “NDIA is taking the extraordinary step of suing the federal government for the 30,000 people who were counting on our Digital Navigator + program to help guide them through submitting job applications, accessing telehealth, attending classes, and staying safe online.”
Q: What is the new court case about?
A: The lawsuit, in which NDIA is represented by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, asks the court to reverse the Trump administration’s decision. The suit argues that the administration’s unilateral decision to end the DE program – a program that had been enacted by Congress in statute – and to terminate its grant funding is unconstitutional and violates the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches of government.
If NDIA is successful in court, it would affect not only the organization’s own DE competitive grant, but the entire $1.25 billion competitive grant program. (However, it would not affect the separate $1.44 billion in DE formula funding to states.)
Q: What should education and workforce advocates be doing now?
A: Advocates should continue to raise the profile of digital access and skills issues in their communities. Sharing stories and examples of how digital skill-building helps people find jobs and improve their economic circumstances helps policymakers understand the urgency of restoring this funding.
As NSC’s Katie Spiker says: “Data makes you credible; stories make you memorable.” The most powerful outreach efforts combine hard data and personal stories.
Depending on their organization’s capacity and areas of expertise, advocates should consider:
