Public Knowledge, NDIA Aiming to Platform Local Advocates

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2025 – Two consumer advocacy groups started a new program Tuesday aimed at helping local advocates promote digital equity policies.

Public Knowledge and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance said in a statement that their Connectivity Policy Corps would have a first cohort of 18 advocates from 14 states. The advocates will get policy and advocacy training in an effort to “better ensure broadband policies are shaped by community-driven ideas.” 

“Participants will actively engage with congressional staff, state policymakers, and federal agencies to advance digital equity, expand broadband affordability solutions, strengthen consumer protections, and drive meaningful reform to the Universal Service Fund,” the groups wrote.

The initiative comes in the wake of the expiration of the Affordable Connectivity Program, which provided a $30 monthly internet discount to 23 million low-income households, and the Trump administration’s cancellation of $2.75 billion in funding from the Digital Equity Act.

NDIA is currently suing for the release of the DEA funding.

As much as $21 billion in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program funding, which states had been planning to use on broadband affordability and adoption programs, among other things, is also in limbo. The Commerce Department rescinded approval for any activities other than deploying infrastructure, leaving the fate of surplus funds unclear. The agency is planning to offer more guidance in early 2026.

The CPC participants will come from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia. The group’s website says it’s sponsored by Mission Telecom, a nonprofit wireless provider that also provides grants to public interest groups.

“Those working to connect our communities are confronting a moment where there is a sense of scarcity manufactured by those in power, including policymakers and industry,” Alisa Valentin, broadband policy director at Public Knowledge, wrote in a Tuesday blog post. “The CPC aims to turn these frustrations into action by centering community voices and equipping advocates with the tools to shape and influence policy that will yield a more equitable, creative, and connected future.”