Trump killed the Digital Equity Act, but US was forced to bring part of it back

AI 中文解读

核心亮点：特朗普想废除拜登时期的宽带补助计划，结果被法院拦下一半，不得不重新开放申请，但补助规则被改了。通俗解读：美国2021年通过了一个“数字公平法案”，打算花27.5亿美元帮助那些还没通网或网速很慢的地区，尤其是低收入社区和少数族裔。特朗普上台后说这个法案“种族歧视”，要全部砍掉。但法院说：不能全砍，至少得保留一部分。于是政府只好在12月重新开放申请，不过有个新限制——以后发补助不能看受益人的种族，只能看收入、年龄、残疾这些条件。换句话说，钱照样发，但不能再专门照顾黑人、拉美裔等群体了。实际影响：对美国普通老百姓来说，这项补助原本能让更多偏远地区的人和低收入家庭用上便宜的高速网络，方便在线上课、远程看病、找工作。现在虽然计划恢复了，但削弱了对特定弱势群体的倾斜，可能让一些最需要帮助的社区再次被落下。对咱们国内读者来说，这件事也提醒我们：数字鸿沟不是中国独有，连美国也在为“怎么公平地分钱”吵得不可开交。

The Trump administration said it will reinstate a broadband grant program to comply with a court ruling that prevented it from fully ignoring the Digital Equity Act enacted by Congress in 2021. The US government said in a court filing that it plans to start taking applications for grants in December. However, the Trump administration won a partial victory because the judge ruled the government can't allocate money based on the race or ethnicity of people who would benefit from grants. The government program can still award broadband grants based on factors such as income, age, and disability. The Digital Equity Act of 2021 provided $2.75 billion for three grant programs aimed at closing gaps in broadband access. The Biden administration started awarding $60 million in planning grants to states in 2022, and in 2024 it started taking applications to distribute the rest of the $2.75 billion. Trump announced in May 2025 that he would end the grant programs, claiming the Digital Equity Act itself is racist and unconstitutional.Read full article Comments