The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on June 6 voted to approve a $200 million pilot project that will take a three-year deep dive into studying the best cybersecurity services and equipment options for K-12 schools and libraries.
The ultimate aim of the pilot project – which will be funded with money from the Universal Service Fund (USF) that the FCC administrates – is to better inform the FCC and other Federal agencies about how to invest USF money into helping schools and libraries improve their cybersecurity.
The Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program, the FCC said, “will allow the Commission to obtain actionable data about which cybersecurity services and equipment would best help K-12 schools and libraries address the growing cyber threats and attacks against their broadband networks.”
“From this program, the Commission aims to learn how to improve school and library defenses against sophisticated ransomware and cyberattacks that put students at risk and impede their learning,” the agency said.
“The pilot program will allow the Commission to gather the data needed to better understand whether and how universal service funds could be used to support the cybersecurity needs of schools and libraries and to share lessons learned with our Federal partners to jointly combat this growing problem,” the FCC said.
Funding from the pilot will be used to defray the costs of eligible cybersecurity services and equipment used by schools and libraries that participate in the program.
The FCC said the pilot program is part of Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s Learn Without Limits initiative that aims to reduce the “homework gap” by ensuring connectivity in schools and libraries so everyone, everywhere has access to high-speed Internet services.
In a statement in support of the FCC’s vote to approve the pilot program, Rosenworcel cited 2023 cyberattacks against numerous K-12 schools, and cited Government Accountability Office (GAO) findings that disruptions to victimized schools can last for weeks and cost millions of dollars to remediate.
“This situation is complex,” she said, “but the vulnerabilities in the networks we have in our Nation’s schools and libraries are real – and growing. So today we are doing something about it.”
“We also know this is a multifaceted problem and there are many others at the local, state, and Federal level, including the Department of Education and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, that need to be part of the solution,” Rosenworcel said.
“We do not have all the answers,” she added, “but we can use our authority at the Commission to start asking the right questions.”
“Ultimately, we want to learn from this effort, identify how to get the balance right, and provide our local, state, and Federal government partners with actionable data about the most effective and coordinated way to address this growing problem,” the FCC chairwoman said.
