New FCC Pilot Program Promises Funding for K-12 Cybersecurity

New FCC Pilot Program Promises Funding for K-12 Cybersecurity

K-12 schools and libraries have a new weapon in the war against cyberattacks — funding through a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) pilot program.

On June 6, 2024, the FCC approved the Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program, earmarking $200 million for security solutions and services over the three-year pilot. Eligible districts will receive up to $13.60 per student for one category of security controls: advanced or next-generation firewalls, endpoint protection, identity protection and authentication, or monitoring, detection and response. The money will come from the FCC’s Universal Service Fund but will be separate from the E-Rate program.

Schools and libraries will use FCC Form 484 to apply for the program. Although the application won’t open until fall, they should review the draft form now and start gathering information.

K-12 Cyberattack Statistics

Cyberattacks against K-12 schools are relentless. Schools are the No. 1 target for ransomware attacks — ahead of higher ed, construction, government and healthcare. A Sophos study found that 80 percent of schools suffered ransomware attacks in 2022. Schools are often forced to shut down while they try to recover their systems and data. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, some 647,000 U.S. students were affected by ransomware in 2021.

Ransomware isn’t the only type of attack targeting our schools. The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) reports that 29 percent of its members fell victim to a cyber incident during the 2021-2022 school year. The types of attacks included data breaches, ransomware and business email compromise, among others. The Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) estimates that schools suffer more than one incident per school day.

Why Schools Are Targeted

CISA refers to schools as “target rich, cyber poor.” They house vast amounts of personal data on students, teachers and families. In recent years, they’ve implemented advanced technologies to facilitate classroom and virtual learning. However, their cybersecurity resources haven’t kept pace with these innovations. According to MS-ISAC, the average school devotes less than 8 percent of its IT budget to security, with 20 percent of schools spending less than 1 percent.

Faced with limited budgets and competing priorities for academic and social programs, superintendents seldom prioritize cybersecurity until after an incident occurs. Then, the school must go to the board for emergency funding to investigate and remediate the attack.

Supply chain attacks are another problem. Many school districts rely on third-party providers for their student information systems, and cyber criminals attack these providers to gain access to valuable data. However, schools lack the expertise and resources to assess the security practices of their vendors.

Benefits of the FCC Pilot Program

The FCC pilot program aims to start closing these gaps by providing eligible schools and libraries with $15,000 to $1.5 million for security solutions and services. The agency acknowledges that the pilot’s limited funding will not be sufficient to cover all their security needs, but it will enable a meaningful step forward.

The program also represents a shift in focus toward security concerns. The FCC said it will study the impact of the pilot as it reviews future changes to the E-Rate program. In a 2023 survey, 93 percent of E-Rate participants said the program should cover cybersecurity.

FCC Form 484 requests detailed information about the applicant’s current security systems, services and practices for assessing and managing risk. Applicants must also describe cyberattacks they have faced and how they plan to use the pilot program funding to address these threats and improve their security posture. Many schools and libraries will have difficulty providing this information.

Verteks has a long history of serving the IT needs of K-12 schools throughout Florida. Contact one of our consultants to discuss how we can help you apply for funding through the Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program.


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