Media Center

WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, Congressman David Scott (GA-13) led members of the Georgia Delegation in sending a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Acting Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Adam Cassady, opposing the abrupt and illegal termination of State Digital Equity Capacity Grants and Digital Equity Competitive Grants. The letter also demands the immediate disbursement of grant awards and approval of all pending grant applications.

“The decision to unilaterally terminate funding for broadband services is both illegal and morally wrong,” said Congressman David Scott. “Communities across Georgia count on the Digital Equity Grant Program to gain affordable internet, gain access basic digital tools for telehealth services, education, and job opportunities. Characterization of this vital lifeline as a “woke handout based on race” only proves that the administration has failed to comprehend the goal of the programs or who benefits from its funding. In reality, termination of this grant program will disproportionately harm working-class families, veterans, the elderly, and rural Georgians. The Trump Administration has no right to ignore the law by recklessly and indiscriminately canceling funding opportunities for our communities.”

Digital equity grants were originally included in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The law allocated $2.75 billion to help underserved communities access affordable high-speed internet. The funding was designed to close the digital divide for veterans, seniors, rural communities, low-income families, incarcerated individuals, people with disabilities, and others.

Despite being funded by Congress, the Trump Admin unilaterally halted the program in May, falsely labeling it as “unconstitutional” and a “woke handout.” This is a continuation of President Trump’s repeated efforts to illegally terminate funding passed by Congress. It effectively froze already approved grants and ended the review of hundreds of competitive applications, including a $9.9 million application from Clayton County’s Department of Information Technology.

In the letter, Rep. David Scott led Georgia’s Democratic House lawmakers in urging Secretary Lutnick and Acting Administrator Cassady:

• Restore digital equity grant funding already awarded
• Resume Reviewing applications for the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program
• Recognize the immense benefits these investments provide, including job readiness training, access to online healthcare, digital literacy programs, and educational resources.

View a copy of the letter HERE.

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