This week in “What’s New in Digital Equity” — our weekly look at government digital equity and broadband news — we have a number of interesting items, which you can jump to with the links below:

WASHINGTON STATE LEADERSHIP CHANGE

Aaron Wheeler, the director of the Washington State Broadband Office (WSBO), announced he will step down after June 27. The Governor’s Office and Washington Department of Commerce plan to fill the position.

“I have had a wonderful time leading WSBO, but working with the Suquamish Tribe again is an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up,” said Wheeler in a statement.

Wheeler came to this role with 18 years of experience as an IT professional with the Suquamish Tribe government.


As Wheeler told Government Technology prior to the departure announcement, his career with the tribal nation has allowed him to work with different groups and different perspectives. His hope, he said, is that as federal-level funding streams change, the focus will shift to what is best for communities and lead to more voices being heard.

He has been serving in the role with WSBO since March 2024, during which time the office completed two rounds of applications for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Before WSBO opened the third and final application round, federal guidance that was released shifted the state’s process. The WSBO deputy director, Erica Henry, will work with other staff in WSBO to carry out the next round.

“I want to thank Aaron for leading WSBO through what has proved to be challenging waters, including shifting federal requirements as well as a difficult state budget environment,” said Mark Barkley, assistant director for the Local Government Division at the Department of Commerce, in a statement.

Wheeler has previously addressed the impact of lost funds from the Digital Equity Act on state broadband work, the money for which he said “just vanished overnight.”

His new role with the Suquamish Tribe, starting in July, will be as the training and development coordinator, according to a LinkedIn post.

“I’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines,” he wrote of WSBO’s upcoming work with the BEAD program’s final phase. Wheeler also foreshadowed in the post that another announcement related to a professorship is forthcoming.

PROPOSED LEGISLATION FOR RURAL BROADBAND

U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra has introduced a bipartisan bill called the Lowering Broadband Costs for Consumers Act to support broadband construction in rural communities. It would require the main financial beneficiaries of the networks, like Google and Amazon, to contribute to the cost of networks being built.

The issue, Feenstra said in a statement, is that “Big Tech companies use these networks once completed but rarely contribute their fair share towards the cost.”

Broadband advocacy organizations like NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association, WTA, the National Tribal Telecommunications Association and the Rural Wireless Association have voiced support for this legislation.

As states seek to address significant changes in federal funding streams for broadband infrastructure construction and digital equity programming, this legislation could provide funding stability if passed.

MULTISTATE LAWSUIT ON FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin is leading a lawsuit against the Trump administration over illegal attempts to rescind funding that has been awarded to states, and he is joined in the effort by a coalition of 21 attorneys general and the state of Pennsylvania.

The issue refers to a clause in the Office of Management and Budget regulations stating that agencies may terminate federal funding awards if it is deemed that the funding “no longer effectuates … agency priorities.”

Awarded funding has been terminated in a variety of areas, from education to infrastructure. Millions of dollars of federal funding for various programs in New Jersey have been terminated since President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration. One risk is that grants that plaintiffs are currently receiving from the U.S. Department of Commerce are at risk of termination based on the way this clause is being interpreted, including funding for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program, which has recently undergone significant changes.

The multistate lawsuit argues that the administration’s use of this regulation to terminate grants based on changed priorities is unlawful. It is a joint effort of the attorneys general of Massachusetts, New York, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the state of Pennsylvania.

STATES ADJUST TO BEAD CHANGES

In other BEAD news, states are adjusting to the program changes. Some members of congress have criticized these changes to the program, established by Congress through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

North Carolina plans to launch a revised $1.5 billion BEAD program this summer in alignment with the changes that were announced June 6. To fulfill the new policy requirements, the N.C. Department of Information Technology is extending its final prequalification window to July 7 for ISPs who want to participate. The state also released its new BEAD Planning Map last week. The department secretary said in a statement that officials are “quickly working” to meet the new federal requirements.

Other states are facing challenges following BEAD changes. For example, Wisconsin officials are concerned that the program changes will result in “significant delays,” per an announcement from the state. Gov. Tony Evers is urging state legislators to approve state budget investments in the wake of BEAD program changes and subsequent delays.

Vermont’s broadband leader told Government Technology that it is “a tight timeline” with these changes, but state officials remain committed to meeting those deadlines.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate is considering a budget bill with a provision that would establish a 10-year moratorium on AI regulation, and threatens to rescind states’ previously allocated BEAD funding should they choose to enforce state-level tech regulations in this space.

“This is a fundamental threat to our national defense and a massive giveaway to China,” said one U.S. senator, Maria Cantwell, in a June 25 statement about the provision.

SPECTRUM INVESTS IN DIGITAL SKILLS

Spectrum has awarded $1.1 million in Spectrum Digital Education grants to nonprofit organizations executing digital skills training and offering resources in this area.

“Technology is a powerful equalizer, but only if people have access to a computer and then know how to use it,” said Rahman Khan, group vice president of community impact, in a statement.

The Digital Equity Act’s termination has caused the cancellation of critical programming in cybersecurity and digital literacy training for states. One expert told Government Technology he expects government to look to other sectors to fill the gap.

The announcement of $1.1 million will help to do so, but alone, this investment will not address the loss of $2.75 billion of congressionally allocated digital equity funding.



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