Digital Inclusion

Oregon Gets $9.9 Million for Digital Equity Amid NTIA Criticism

State plan counters criticism, showing white residents may benefit as much or more than racial minorities.

Jericho Casper

Nov 25, 2024 — 2 min read

Photo of Sophorn Cheang, director of Business Oregon.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2024 – Oregon has been awarded nearly $10 million in federal funding to kickstart the state’s first-ever program addressing broadband adoption gaps.

The funding, part of the $1.25 billion Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program overseen by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, was awarded Thursday, the same day NTIA was urged to halt the program by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

Cruz sent a letter to NTIA, claiming it engaged in “impermissible race-based discrimination” by prioritizing connectivity for racial minorities among other underserved groups. Advocates have since pushed back, emphasizing that these priorities were mandated by Congress, not NTIA, under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.

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Digital Inclusion Oregon NTIA iija Ted Cruz Congress DEA Sophorn Cheang Business Oregon