The FCC opened an application window for schools and libraries to request funding through a three-year, $200 million pilot program to 'defray the costs of eligible cybersecurity services and equipment.'
The FCC on Tuesday (September 17) opened an application window for a new $200 million, three-year pilot program, under the Universal Service Fund (USF), that will support schools and libraries in their efforts to secure their communications networks.
The FCC first proposed the program – dubbed the Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program – and opened a notice of public inquiry in November 2023. The Commission then approved the program at its June 2024 open meeting, with the FCC's three Democrats voting in favor of the measure and two Republicans voting against.
The application window is open now through November 1, 2024.
In a press release, the FCC said the application process will occur in two parts: Part one will see interested schools and libraries provide "basic information about their cybersecurity needs, experience, and plans to use the funding."
From there, selected schools and libraries will be asked for more detailed information "to help the Commission determine whether and how to best use limited universal service funds to support the long-term cybersecurity needs of schools and libraries."
Indeed, gathering data on this matter, rather than solving the problem, seems to be a core goal of the program, given its limited budget. In a report and order on the program, released in June, the FCC acknowledged that "as a limited-term Pilot Program, only a subset of K-12 schools and libraries will likely be selected and receive support to defray their cybersecurity-related costs. And, with a $200 million budget, the Pilot Program will not be able to fund all of the cybersecurity related needs of the selected Pilot participants."
Thus, added the FCC: "Within this framework, we find that the Pilot Program will serve a vital role in informing the Commission, and the broader federal government, as to the most pressing cybersecurity needs of K-12 schools and libraries, and the associated costs, which will enable the Commission and other stakeholders to best address these needs on a longterm basis."
Additional background
The pilot program is being rolled out partly in response to a government report from Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), published in 2023, recommending that K-12 schools invest in "the most impactful security measures," as well as information-sharing with other schools and federal agencies.
In that report, CISA advised: "K-12 entities should begin with a small number of prioritized investments: deploying multi-factor authentication (MFA), mitigating known exploited vulnerabilities, implementing and testing backups, regularly exercising an incident response plan, and implementing a strong cybersecurity training program."
The cybersecurity agency also warned that "cyber actors are targeting K–12 education organizations across the country, with potentially catastrophic impacts," and it provided a list of free and low-cost resources to help schools and libraries lower their risk.
Eligible services
As the FCC confirmed in its report and order adopting the pilot program in June, all schools and libraries are eligible to apply – not just those participating in the E-Rate program.
The Commission further published a list of "pilot-eligible services," which includes "advanced firewalls" – something the Commission has previously declined to fund through USF's E-Rate program.
Other eligible services include endpoint protection; identity protection and authentication tools; and network monitoring, detection and response tools.
Interested schools and libraries can apply using part one of the FCC's form 484 here.
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