National Telecommunications and Information Administration — Digital Equity Programs
(NTIA Digital Equity)
Department of CommerceRural, elderly, tribal, and disabled populations lacking broadband access; ~42 million Americans without home broadband
Summary
The NTIA Digital Equity programs, created under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, gave money to all 50 states, tribes, and territories to help people get online—paying for things like low-cost devices, digital skills classes, and 'digital navigators' who help people use the internet. The FY2027 budget proposes cancelling the program entirely, cutting the full $2,200 million (100%) as part of a broader rescission of unspent infrastructure funds.
Who Is Affected
The cut affects an estimated 42 million Americans who lack home broadband, especially rural residents, seniors, people with disabilities, and tribal communities that state and local digital equity plans were built to serve. All 56 states and territories had already created federally approved Digital Equity Plans, and NTIA sent termination letters to grant recipients across the country in May 2025, cancelling awards that were funding local libraries, nonprofits, and workforce programs.
What this cut would actually mean
Without this funding, digital navigator programs that help seniors and non-English speakers apply for jobs, healthcare, or benefits online would shut down, device-distribution and low-cost internet programs for low-income households would end, and digital skills classes in libraries and community centers would lose their main funding source. Communities that already built state digital equity plans around this money—like tribal broadband literacy programs and rural cybersecurity training—would have to scale back or cancel services they had already started, leaving the populations with the least internet access further behind.
Why this hits Alabama harder
About 42% of Alabama's population lives in rural areas, well above the roughly 20% national rural average, and rural residents are the group most likely to lack home broadband. In rural Alabama counties, only about 73% of residents have broadband access compared to 88% statewide, showing rural Alabamians still lag behind. Because Digital Equity funds specifically targeted rural, elderly, tribal, and disabled residents without home internet, canceling the program would hit Alabama's large rural population harder than most other states.
- Explore Rural Population in Alabama | AHR — Shows Alabama's rural population share at about 42%, notably higher than the roughly 20% U.S. average.
- Alabama's broadband grant program leaves some poor, underserved counties behind | Alabama Reflector — Reports that while 88% of Alabamians overall have broadband access, that rate drops to about 73% in rural counties, per FCC data.
- At A Glance | Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) — States that 42.3% of Alabama's population, over 2.1 million people, live in rural areas as of 2022 Census data.
Sources
- NTIA terminates Digital Equity Act grants — National Association of Counties reports NTIA sent termination letters on May 9, 2025 to recipients of Digital Equity Act grants.
- President Trump Declares End of $2.75 Billion 'Digital Equity Program' — Law firm alert describing the President's May 8, 2025 announcement ending the Digital Equity Act programs and the legal questions raised.
- Digital Equity Act - National Digital Inclusion Alliance — Overview of the Digital Equity Act, noting it was the largest federal investment in digital inclusion until its termination on May 9, 2025.
- NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program — NTIA document confirming that 56 states and U.S. territories developed Digital Equity Plans identifying barriers faced by covered populations.
- States Using Federal Dollars to Expand Access to Digital Skills and Devices — Pew Charitable Trusts article on how states used Digital Equity Act funds for digital skills training and device access.
Administration's Stated Rationale
“IIJA-funded digital equity programs cancelled as part of broader rescission of unobligated infrastructure funds.”