Attempt to Bridge the Digital Divide: Exploration of the Digital Equity Act
In Portland, Oregon, a keyboard basics class offered by Free Geek provided underserved individuals with vital computer skills on May 15, 2025. Attendees, such as Brandon Dorn, 63, attended the class to learn essential computer functions and navigate the digital world more confidently.
Free Geek, a nonprofit organization, offers workshops to teach individuals how to utilize computers and the internet, making crucial digital resources accessible to those who may not have them. conduced the class at a low-income housing building to ensure access for residents.
The Digital Equity Act, a federal grant program enacted in 2021, aimed to help bridge the digital divide across the United States. However, this program has faced opposition, as President Donald Trump announced its intended termination in May 2025. Trump labeled the program "racist" and "illegal," stating it provided "unjust" funding distributed based on race.
Critics argue that the Digital Equity Act primarily focused on addressing the needs of marginalized populations, including rural residents, veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, and communities of color. The Act aimed to provide state-level planning for digital equity, digital skills training, workforce readiness, and technical support for underserved communities.
Whether Trump holds the legal authority to end the Digital Equity Act remains uncertain, as the Republican administration's decision can simply cease the allocation of funds for the program. The Act was a vital component of the $1 trillion infrastructure law, pushed through by the Biden administration, and was thought to fill the gaps left by the broadband rollout.
"I just felt my heart break for what we were finally, finally in this country, going to address, the digital divide," said Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, a nonprofit that was awarded but has yet to receive a $25.7 million grant to work with groups across the country.
Siefer emphasized the importance of digital equity, stating, "The digital divide is not just physical access to the internet, it is being able to use that to do what you need to do."
- Brandon Dorn, a class attendee at Free Geek's keyboard basics workshop, expressed interest in learning essential computer functions to navigate the digital world confidently.
- Free Geek, a nonprofit organization, aims to provide digital skills training and workforce readiness to underserved communities as part of its mission to bridge the digital divide across the United States.
- The Digital Equity Act, enacted in 2021, aimed to address the needs of marginalized populations by providing state-level planning for digital equity, digital skills training, workforce readiness, and technical support.
- The cancellation of the Digital Equity Act, announced by President Donald Trump in May 2025, has sparked controversy, with critics arguing that it would leave underserved communities without critical resources for advancing their personal-finance, education-and-self-development, business, and entertainment opportunities in an increasingly digitized world.
