Digital Equity Grantees Hopeful Amid Uncertainty

WASHINGTON, Fed. 26, 2025 – Funding the Biden administration recommended for digital equity awards hasn’t yet been released under the Trump administration, but awardees are hopeful they’ll be able to follow through on their efforts to expand broadband adoption.

More than $600 million in recommended awards were announced in January by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

They were set to be issued “following budget review and processing,” but there’s been some level of uncertainty since the Trump administration moved to axe diversity initiatives throughout the government and freeze federal funding it’s ideologically opposed to – efforts that courts have sought to put on hold.

The money came from the NTIA’s Digital Equity Competitive Grant program, a $1.25 billion program that supports nonprofits and local governments in addressing barriers to broadband adoption that persist after infrastructure is deployed, like expensive devices or an unfamiliarity with digital services. It's part of a $2.75 billion set aside by the Digital Equity Act in 2021.

Jennifer Carlson, co-founder of Apprenti, a Washington state tech apprenticeship program that was recommended for grant funding, said she was optimistic the funding would be released.  She spoke at a webinar hosted by the New America Foundation.

“The sooner we can get to that, the better off we are,” she said, adding the clarity would be helpful not only for her efforts, but for “many of the partners we work with, including employers who are going ‘Ok, we’re ready to hit the ground running. When do we hit go?’”

“I think we’re all kind of in that holding pattern right now,” she said. 

Apprenti was recommended for $11.8 million to host digital literacy workshops in nine states, including providing courses necessary to earn an IT certification.

Taylor Stuckert, executive director of American Connection Corps, said the organization was looking to fund 80 new corps positions for the next three years with its Digital Equity Act funding. The group places members in community groups across the country to support broadband adoption at the local level.

“We view it as a tremendous opportunity to be able to extend our reach to communities that often don’t experience this kind of federal support,” he said. “It would be disappointing not to be able to provide that service.”

Megan Waiters, lead digital navigator at the Community Service Programs of West Alabama, said difficulty with using everyday services online was a barrier to accessing the whole suite of programs her nonprofit offered for low-income households. Those range from financial planning classes, first-time home buyer resources, and emergency preparedness efforts, among other things.

“With all of those services, everything is online now,” she said. “What we’ve seen is a lot of our clients don’t have the digital skills that are needed.”