by Kayla Schwoerer
Image of a safety net.
Since its adoption in 2021, the Digital Equity Act has been poised to unlock billions in economic potential by connecting 24 million disconnected Americans to job opportunities, healthcare, and educational resources. As Americans increasingly rely on digital services for everything from Social Security applications to prescription refills, the Digital Equity Act served as a critical safety net, ensuring that a lack of internet access or digital skills wouldn’t leave anyone stranded. At the same time, the Digital Equity Act represented something rare in today’s political climate: a genuinely bipartisan solution. Together, Republicans and Democrats rallied behind it, recognizing that digital literacy and internet access aren’t “partisan issues” but fundamental necessities not only for equity but also for American competitiveness in the 21st century.
That is, until Trump suddenly ended it.
On May 8, 2025, in a Truth Social post, Trump called the $2.5 billion program “unconstitutional,” “racist,” and “illegal” as he announced his decision to immediately end the “woke” initiative. By May 9th, the Trump Administration had begun terminating Digital Equity Act Capacity Grant funds, forcing states to abruptly cancel millions in planned broadband expansion and digital literacy initiatives.
The Act provided funding for three core grant programs: the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program, which helped states, territories, and Tribal entities develop comprehensive digital equity plans; the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, which funded the implementation of those plans in efforts to promote internet adoption, digital skills, and access to devices; and the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program, an initiative aimed at non-state entities like nonprofits to support broader digital equity efforts.
The implications extend far beyond the program’s $2.75 billion budget, though. The stakes of this policy reversal become clearer when examining how digital literacy and skills training intersect with gender equity. From targeted skills training in male-dominated tech sectors to vital online safety initiatives combating gender-based digital abuse, the Act provided crucial resources to tackle the multi-faceted barriers that keep women and girls on the wrong side of the digital divide. Local governments and communities across the country are now scrambling to fill a void that cannot easily be filled, with many being forced to suspend or drastically reduce digital skills training programs that provided critical support for women and girls.
Still, the most serious impacts are likely to come from stalled broadband expansion. More than one-fifth of Americans lack broadband internet access at home, with rural communities facing even higher rates (27%). Broadband initiatives targeted underserved groups and those who have historically experienced lower rates of computer and internet use (see Census.gov and NTIA data) to ensure equitable access to high-speed internet. The termination of these programs will negatively impact rural areas where broadband connectivity remains limited and leave vulnerable populations such as veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families without access to a stable internet connection. Likewise, without these programs, many vulnerable citizens will be without access to technological devices or technical support, which have become essential for participating in modern economic and social life.
Given the links between broadband expansion and gender equity, the terminations strike at the heart of efforts to close persistent gender gaps in digital participation that have long hindered women’s economic advancement and social empowerment (NTIA). Research spanning nearly two decades reveals that internet access particularly benefits women, and minority women in particular, by boosting entrepreneurship rates, employment opportunities, and earnings while helping to mitigate the effects of gender and racial bias in traditional labor markets (see: Broadband Commission 2017; Jamison and Wang 2023). During economic crises, especially, these effects offer protection for women in the labor market by providing alternative pathways to financial stability through digital platforms and remote work opportunities.
Ultimately, the elimination of the Digital Equity Act has widespread implications for gender equity in an increasingly digital world. Without federal support to sustain targeted interventions, communities risk not only stalling progress in this area, but also potentially backsliding in women’s digital participation and the economic, educational, and health outcomes that flow from digital access. As local officials continue to scramble to replace the lost federal investments with no clear way forward, the loss of the Digital Equity Act threatens to undo years of careful work toward ensuring that the United States’ digital future includes everyone, regardless of gender.
About the author:
Dr. Kayla Schwoerer is an Assistant Professor of Public Administration in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam. She is also an Associate Research Professor at Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY). Her research focuses on understanding and improving the ways that public and nonprofit organizations use data and evidence, design thinking, and digital technologies to solve problems and engage diverse communities.