Trump administration halts $14.1M in funding for internet access in Mass.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration on May 9 sent termination of funding letters to recipients of grants authorized under the Digital Equity Act.

The action terminates $14.1 million in federal funding to Massachusetts that would have been used to expand internet access for veterans, rural communities and individuals with disabilities, according to the Healey-Driscoll administration.

In a prepared statement on May 16, Gov. Maura Healey said the previously awarded funding from the Digital Equity Act Capacity Grant Program would have provided communities with tools, skills and resources to expand the adoption and use of high-speed internet service.

“Everyone deserves access to the internet,” she said. “It’s essential for being able to participate in our economy and utilize the resources and services that so many of us rely on.”

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said the Trump administration “continues to gut programs that connect people with essential services, training opportunities, and tools needed to achieve upward mobility.”

The termination of the Capacity Grant Program will result in the suspension of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute’s Launchpad Program and halt the expansion of the Municipal Digital Equity Planning and Municipal Digital Equity Implementation programs, according to the administration.

As a result, the programs will be forced to suspend efforts to advance digital skills training, expand access to digital devices, and assist local governments with digital equity planning activities across Massachusetts.

The Launchpad Program will lose $9.44 million that would have been used to provide nonprofit and public sector entities with the tools to address digital access gaps statewide. The Launchpad Program addressed the six focus areas of the Digital Equity Partnerships Program: wifi access; public space internet modernization; connectivity for economic hardship; device distribution and refurbishment; digital literacy; and education, outreach and adoption support.

The Municipal Digital Equity Planning and Municipal Digital Equity Implementation programs will lose $1.44 million that would have been used to open new rounds of funding. The planning program enables cities and towns to apply for strategic consultation to tackle internet affordability, digital literacy training and device access, and the implementation program helps municipalities execute their plans.

This funding cut is reflected in the Healey-Driscoll administration’s Federal Funding Cuts dashboard, which shows that the Trump administration has terminated $350 million in direct funding for Massachusetts state agencies to date.

The Digital Equity Act, with a total of $2.75 billion in federal funding, was passed in 2021 as a component of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.