The Trump administration has agreed to reinstate a $1.25 billion broadband grant program, the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program, after a court ruling found it could not simply ignore the Digital Equity Act passed by Congress in 2021. However, the administration scored a partial win as the judge ruled that grants cannot be awarded based on race or ethnicity, striking down that provision as unconstitutional, while allowing other criteria such as income, age, and disability to remain. The government plans to begin accepting new applications in December, though a separate $1.44 billion state grant program that was also cancelled remains unrestored, as it was not part of the lawsuit that prompted the ruling.
