FCC Looks at Upgrading School Cybersecurity to Protect Against Hackers

What you'll learn:

• Details behind the FCC Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program.
• What tools and services will be provided.
• How to apply to the program.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is allocating $200 million in funding to help schools and libraries protect their systems against hackers. The Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program will enable selected participants to acquire a range of cybersecurity services and equipment over three years.

The initiative is modeled after the FCC's Connected Care Pilot. It will evaluate the effectiveness of using Universal Service funding to support cybersecurity services and equipment to protect school and library broadband networks and data to determine if they need funding on a permanent basis.  

Those eligible for the cybersecurity pilot program include schools, libraries, and other consortia that meet the E-Rate eligibility requirements. These include nonprofit public elementary schools and secondary schools that provide education services up to grade 12. Schools operating as for-profit businesses or that have endowments exceeding $50 million aren’t eligible.

Eligibility requirements for libraries must meet specific criteria, e.g., fitting the "definition of a library," specifically the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), as amended by the Museum and Library Services Act of 2018, and be eligible for assistance from a state library administrative agency under that Act. These include public and school libraries, and tribal, academicm and research libraries with publicly available content.

Participants of the Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program will receive reimbursement for a diverse set of cybersecurity tools and services. These include advanced and next-generation firewalls, endpoint protection solutions, identity protection, and authentication services, along with monitoring, detection, and response tools.

How Do Schools Apply to the Program?

Applying for the program is a two-part process, with the first being the preliminary application, where applicants provide basic information about their institutions, along with any or all of their cybersecurity-related experiences. Those that are selected will then provide a more detailed application outlining their cybersecurity posture and how they manage and mitigate risks. They will also need to submit records of past threats and attacks within the past year, any existing cybersecurity training policies and procedures, and any challenges in maintaining secure networks.

The goal of the pilot program is to better understand how to safeguard schools and libraries against cyberattacks and secure their digital infrastructure and data. According to the FCC, the initiative is designed to highlight the importance of cybersecurity within our academic institutions and libraries, and to pave the way for a secure digital future via new policies and investments.