The  Cuts by the Trump Administration are Very Scary.

Three grants totaling $35 million in funding for Maine were terminated by the federal government in May, leaving 130,000 Mainers without the digital skills and training and technology assistance they need to successfully use the internet.  The funding loss disproportionately impacts Maine’s most vulnerable populations, including seniors, rural communities, small businesses, veterans and students.

The grant funding had focused on providing everyone in Maine with the skills and echnology to safely and meaningfully use the internet.  Idt is critical that this work continues, to ensure that no one is left in the digital dark — empowersing people, businesses, institutions and communities to thrive in a connected world.

Maine’s Digital Equity Alliance will gather or the third annual Digital Opportunity Workshop, with a very different mission at hand — how to provide meaningful support in light of sigificant federal cuts.  The in-person meeting will bring together 70+ members of Maine’s digital opportunity and broadband community to plan for the future in the wake of terminated funding.

The meeting referred to in the previous paragraph will occur on Tuesday, October 7th from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at he Universty of Maine in Augusta.  Although the meeting is not open to the public, representatives from numerous digital advocates will attend.  One of the goals of the group is:  “Where do we go from here?”