FCC Announces $200 Million for School and Library Cybersecurity Upgrades

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced the Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program which is set to allocate up to $200 million to support selected participants over a three-year period, enabling them to acquire a range of cybersecurity services and equipment.  

This initiative, inspired by the FCC’s Connected Care Pilot, aims to assess the effectiveness of using Universal Service funding to bolster cybersecurity for educational and library networks. The findings will guide the decision on whether such funding should be provided on a permanent basis.

Eligible applicants include schools, libraries, and consortia (such as regional or statewide groups) that meet the E-Rate program’s eligibility criteria. Notably, prior or current participation in the E-Rate program is not a requirement to apply for this Pilot Program.  

Get more information here on program eligibility requirements.

Participants in the Pilot Program will have the opportunity to receive reimbursements for a diverse set of cybersecurity tools and services, subject to an overall funding cap. This includes advanced and next-generation firewalls, endpoint protection solutions, identity protection and authentication services, as well as monitoring, detection, and response tools.  

A comprehensive list of eligible services and equipment will be provided to help applicants identify what qualifies for reimbursement.

To participate, interested schools, libraries, and consortia will need to go through a two-part application process, which the FCC plans to initiate by opening an application window this Fall:

Part One: Preliminary Application

In the initial phase, applicants will submit basic information about their institutions and cybersecurity-related experiences. This includes their familiarity with cybersecurity best practices and their usage of any existing federal resources for cybersecurity support.  

Additionally, applicants will outline the scope of their proposed Pilot project, specifying the goals and objectives, the services and equipment they intend to purchase (along with estimated costs), and the cybersecurity risks they aim to mitigate through the project.

Part Two: Detailed Application

If selected to move forward, participants will be required to provide more comprehensive details in the second phase of the application.  

This will include an overview of their current cybersecurity posture, such as how they manage and mitigate risks, a record of cyber threats or attacks within the past year, existing cybersecurity training policies and procedures, and any specific challenges they face in maintaining a secure network environment.

The overarching goal of the Pilot Program is to understand how best to support schools and libraries in safeguarding their digital infrastructure and sensitive data against evolving cyber threats.  

This initiative not only underscores the importance of cybersecurity in educational and library settings but also aims to pave the way for a more secure digital future through informed policymaking and investment decisions.

Halcyon: Committed to Protecting the Education Sector

Legacy security tools (EPP/EDR/XDR) were simply not designed to address the unique threat that ransomware presents, and this is why we keep seeing destructive ransomware attacks circumvent these traditional security solutions and impact education organizations.

The Halcyon team of ransomware experts are committed to partnering with the education sector to assure disruptive ransomware attacks do not become the digital version of snow days and negatively impact students and staff.

Talk to a Halcyon expert today to find out more and check out our Recent Ransomware Attacks resource site to get near real-time tracking of ransomware attacks, threat actor groups and their victims.