Vermont Says $5.3M Digital Equity Grant Canceled
The Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) said Thursday that it received notice from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that its $5.3 million digital equity capacity grant was canceled as of May 9. VCBB said it's in contact…
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with the Vermont Attorney General's office and "is exploring legal options." NIST's letter explains that President Donald Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick "agreed" that the program is "unconstitutional and grants issued pursuant to it were created with, and administered using, impermissible and unconstitutional racial preferences." The "decision is final and there is no right of administrative appeal," the letter said. Vermont had planned to use the funding to implement its digital empowerment (DE) program. “Vermont’s DE program was going to improve the lives of Vermonters who can’t access the internet," said VCBB Executive Director Christine Hallquist. "Taking this funding away now will severely limit our work and will mean many Vermonters will be left behind, unfortunately the most vulnerable," Hallquist added.