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The NDIA is suing to reinstate the Digital Equity Act Competitive Grant Program, which they allege was unconstitutionally cancelled
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
A national non-profit is now fighting back months after President Donald Trump labeled the Digital Equity Act “racist” and ended funding associated with the act.
Represented by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) announced last week they’re now suing the federal government to restore the Digital Equity Act Competitive Grant Program.
The NDIA says they were impacted severely by Trump’s announcement, which they also allege violated the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches.
“No more woke handouts based on race,” the president previously posted about the Digital Equity Act, which was passed into law as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. “The Digital Equity Program is a RACIST and ILLEGAL $2.5 BILLION DOLLAR GIVEAWAY.”
Trump decision stopped ‘shovel ready’ projects
With their lawsuit, the NDIA seeks to resume grant-funded projects they say are “shovel ready,” which would provide digital navigator services to 30,000 people across 11 states.
“The Administration is cutting a program that improves the lives of millions of Americans and provides much-needed support, which continues to harm the most vulnerable among us,” said Gillian Cassell-Stiga, senior counsel of the Digital Justice Initiative at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “The goal of the Digital Equity Act is to ensure that everyone has access to essential resources, whether it be access to employment, healthcare, or education.”
The suit, filed with the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C., directly challenges Trump’s assertion that the Digital Equity Act was unconstitutional.
Furthermore, the suit alleges the Department of Commerce did not have the authority to cancel Digital Equity Act grants, one of which was awarded to the NDIA in March.
According to the NDIA, the grant awarded to the organization was designed to support the NDIA’s planned Digital Navigator+ (DN+) Program.
The DN+ program, had it been funded, would have assisted digital navigator efforts in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington, NDIA’s announcement stated.
‘Let’s be very clear’
Angela Siefer, the NDIA’s executive director, called the organization’s decision to sue the federal government an “extraordinary step.”
She said the thousands were counting on the DN+ program to help them submit job applications, access telehealth, attend classes, and stay safe online.
“Thousands more across the country stood to benefit from Digital Equity Act grants through other trusted community organizations,” Siefer said. “Let’s be very clear, the Digital Equity Act is not unconstitutional nor racist, it passed with overwhelming bipartisan support to ensure the United States can compete in today’s modern economy.”
The DN+ program was one of 65 different projects recommended for Digital Equity Act Competitive Grant Program awards, according to the NDIA.