K12 SIX Releases Applicant Guidance for FCC K-12 Cybersecurity Pilot Program Investments
The FCC’s Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program will provide up to $200 million to selected school systems, libraries, and consortia over a three-year term to purchase a wide variety of cybersecurity services and equipment.
Eligible services and equipment include solutions in the following categories: Advanced/Next Generation Firewalls; Endpoint Protection; Identity Protection and Authentication; and Monitoring, Detection, and Response. Nonetheless, the FCC clarifies that named categories and services should be considered ‘non-exhaustive’ and that the Pilot Program will permit applicants to select from a wide variety of cybersecurity services and equipment ‘to best meet their needs’ (albeit with some narrow exceptions).
Given the current cybersecurity posture of the K-12 sector—including the scarcity of K-12 IT staff with cybersecurity experience —such an open-ended pilot program may feel like both a blessing and a curse. Which eligible services would make the most impact? What time and expertise are required from K-12 staff to successfully implement any given solution? What will come of cybersecurity investments after the conclusion of the pilot program?
To that end, K12 SIX members collaborated to identify and assess a wide array of potentially eligible commercial cybersecurity activities and solutions that may significantly reduce cybersecurity risks commonly facing school systems. While school districts are strongly encouraged to conduct an independent, vendor-neutral self-assessment—such as the K12 SIX Cybersecurity District Self-Assessment Tool—to inform the most appropriate next steps in uplifting their cybersecurity program, K12 SIX the recommendations are designed to spur ideas about how school systems of varying cybersecurity maturities and capacity can take best advantage of this pilot funding opportunity.
The guidance, FCC Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program: Advice for K-12 Applicants on Maximizing the Impact, is available for download here.