Judge Blocks Complete Shutdown Of Federal Internet Equity Program, Strikes Race Provisions - Tampa Free Press

Judge Blocks Complete Shutdown Of Federal Internet Equity Program, Strikes Race Provisions - Tampa Free Press

A federal judge has blocked the White House’s complete shutdown of a multibillion-dollar internet access initiative, ruling that while the program’s race-based funding guidelines are unconstitutional, the rest of the initiative must be preserved. In a memorandum opinion issued Tuesday, U.S. District Judge John D. Bates addressed a lawsuit brought by the National Digital Inclusion […] Judge Blocks Complete Shutdown Of Federal Internet Equity Prog…

Judge Strikes Down Race-Based Provision in Biden-Era Internet Access Grant Program

A federal judge ruled on July 15 that a race-based provision of the Digital Equity Act, signed by President Joe Biden in 2021 to close digital gaps, was unconstitutional. The Digital Equity Act was part of Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which appropriated $2.75 billion to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to establish grant programs to expand high-speed internet access for minority groups and …

Federal Court Permits Litigation Seeking Reinstatement of the Billion-Dollar Digital Equity Grant Program but Without Racial Equity Language

Lawyers’ Committee and NDIA vow to press the case forward and close a digital divide that disproportionately harms Black and Brown communities Last week, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that a lawsuit can move forward challenging the Trump administration’s termination of a key program under the Digital Equity Act. The ruling comes in light of the government’s concession that it will — as a result of the lawsuit — reins…