Overview

• President Trump announced the immediate termination of the Digital Equity Program, calling it 'racist and unconstitutional' in a Truth Social post.
• The program, established under Biden's bipartisan infrastructure law, allocated $2.5 billion to improve internet access for veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, rural areas, and minority communities.
• Funds had already been distributed to conservative-led states like Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, and Kansas, with additional disbursements now frozen.
• Trump's decision has sparked legal questions over his authority to unilaterally dismantle the program, which includes a nondiscrimination clause inspired by the Civil Rights Act.
• Critics warn the move could reverse broadband progress in rural areas and give private providers like Elon Musk's Starlink a competitive advantage.