E-Rate

More than 2,500 applicants applied for funding through the Federal Communications Commission’s three-year Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program, which will fund expenses like firewalls and endpoint detection.

Plus, Massachusetts is investing in digital skills training; a partnership in Scranton, Pa., aims to create a universal network; the Federal Communications Commission looks to drive tribal participation in E-rate; and more.

The filing period to apply to join the Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program will begin in mid-September, the Federal Communications Commission has announced. Applicants will have about six weeks to submit.

Weeks after a court ruling in July found the FCC's E-rate program unconstitutional, some legal experts say strong bipartisan support for E-rate and the other universal service programs could ensure their survival.

This week’s decision from the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals calls the Universal Service Fund unconstitutional. The nearly 30-year-old fund uses telecommunications fees to pay for the FCC’s E-rate program.

The Federal Communications Commission voted July 18 to allow funding for Wi-Fi hot spots under the E-rate program. Schools can loan these hot spots to students who lack Internet access at home.

Still in committee as part of the Kids Off Social Media Act, Eyes on the Board aims to tie E-rate funding to the restriction of social media access on any school networks supported by these federal funds.

The FCC expects to open the application window for the three-year $200 million Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program this fall and urges prospective applicants to start preparing now.

Plus, Massachusetts has added three members to its digital accessibility board, a federal resource on digital literacy aims to support community needs, and more.

The Federal Communications Commission’s new Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program will use universal service funds to provide cybersecurity help to K-12 districts while collecting data on what they need.

In a presentation Monday at the National School Boards Association conference in New Orleans, Lawrence Public Schools officials explained how building a private fiber network improved digital equity and saved money.

Money for the Emergency Connectivity Fund is expected to run out June 30. The Federal Communications Commission will continue reviewing public input on the proposal until a determination is made.

A bill moving through Congress proposes that districts receiving funds through the E-Rate program should not allow social media access, but it may be more practical for districts to address the problem individually.

SETDA, CoSN and 10 other nonprofits or professional associations applaud the Federal Communications Commission’s initiative but ask the federal agency to protect sensitive data during the pilot.

The Federal Communications Commission recently extended E-Rate funding to cover WiFi on school buses, but some Republicans say this will raise fees on telecommunications providers and not improve learning outcomes.

The federal E-rate program has the potential to be a well of funding for cybersecurity that K-12 schools and libraries are eager to tap to protect themselves from increasingly sophisticated cyber criminals.

Plus, the Biden administration works to make it easier for people with disabilities to access public services online; the FCC rolls out more Emergency Connectivity funding for schools; and more.

The proposal would create a new pilot program, allotting up to $200 million over three years, for schools and libraries to assess effective cybersecurity methods and implement advanced firewalls, among other needs.