As your school prepares to apply for the Federal Communications Commission’s School and Library Cybersecurity Pilot Program, you should be sure to understand the application process and the guidelines regarding the funding you will receive if selected.
The FCC streamlined the application process as part of the approved pilot, perhaps in response to feedback from the community that the initial applications were taking too long.
Schools will now apply through a two-step process, with the first part likely to be open to applicants in the fall. The changes include a simpler first step, where schools will only need to submit a simplified, summary version of their cybersecurity posture and plan. If selected to get through the first stage of the process, schools will then need to submit a more detailed and robust plan to the FCC along with their proposed projects.
Pilot program details: Increase your chances of receiving funding.
Applications reflect demand for cybersecurity funding
There is limited funding available through this pilot program — $200 million has been approved — but all interested schools must apply.
A high number of applications will signal to the FCC and other government agencies that there is a high demand for cybersecurity funding, and while there is no guarantee that there will be additional federal programs or funding pools for cybersecurity after this pilot program, an overwhelming response during the application process will help support the case for a need in the targeted K-12 market.
Additionally, the FCC is seeking diverse applications: The FCC hopes to use the program for its own research purposes to identify areas where schools are considering investing in cybersecurity technology, and receiving applications from a variety of school types will also help it gather data.
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Schools can cover costs in four technology areas:
The approved funding pilot covers four categories of eligible cybersecurity services and equipment.
Advanced/Next-Generation Firewalls Endpoint Protection Identity Protection and Authentication Monitoring, Detecting and Responding
The FCC acknowledges that the funding provided to schools ($13.60 per student per year for three years) is insufficient to fully cover all categories, and it is up to schools to determine their own needs and decide whether to focus funding on one category or target parts of multiple categories.
Whatever choice a school makes, it must explain it to the FCC in its application. How it invests its funds doesn’t affect its chances of being selected for the pilot program, but having a detailed plan increases its chances.
There are four categories of cybersecurity services and equipment covered. Graphic courtesy of CDW
Carefully budget the FCC’s cybersecurity pilot funding.
K-12 IT leaders should meet with their finance department when applying for the School and Library Cybersecurity Pilot Program. If selected for the program, schools must determine how they will cover the costs of cybersecurity upgrades purchased through the program.
Funds allocated to schools are at undiscounted rates, with discounts and priority equal to the school’s Category 1 discount, up to 90%. So if a school is approved for $100,000 and receives a 50% discount, this means that the FCC will cover $50,000 and the school must pay the remaining $50,000.
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Your IT and finance departments should also work together to decide whether to use the BEAR or SPI billing method.
Schools using the billing applicant entity reimbursement method pay the full cost of the service or solution and are reimbursed later by the universal service management company. This allows schools to proceed with the upgrade on their own schedule and get compensated later. Schools using the service provider billing method must wait for a commitment letter from USAC. The service provider then bills the school and USAC separately for their respective portions of the total cost.
Partners like CDW can help schools understand the School and Library Cybersecurity Pilot Program, assess their cybersecurity posture, and learn about cybersecurity technologies.
This article is part of the series ConnectIT: Bridging the Gap Between Education and Technology. Join the discussion on Twitter. #ConnectedToIT hashtag.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on March 8, 2024.
