Closing the digital divide one anchor institution at a time.
SHLB Pleased to Hear FCC Chair’s Cybersecurity Proposal July 12, 2023
For Immediate Release
Contact: Saskya Cabral
Marketing and PR Director
SHLB Pleased to Hear FCC Chair’s Cybersecurity Proposal
Washington, D.C. (July 12, 2023) - Today, FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel announced a proposal to protect school and library networks from cyber-attacks. The proposal would create a pilot program that would allow schools and libraries to apply for up to $200 million over three years to protect schools and libraries in their privacy, security, and safety. The pilot program will operate within the Federal Universal Service Fund, but separate from the E-Rate program.
"The SHLB Coalition applauds the FCC Chairwoman for proposing to protect schools and libraries from increasing cyber-attacks on their networks," said John Windhausen Jr., Executive Director of the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition. “Cyber-criminals have increased their attacks on schools and libraries over the last few years, and the FBI has recognized that these public networks are at risk. In our view, protecting the integrity of school and library networks is exactly what the E-rate fund is meant to address, so we are interested in learning more about how the pilot program will work within the Universal Service Fund."
SHLB and its members have filed several comments and held extensive meetings with FCC staff on this issue. We have pointed out that cyber-attacks on school and library networks often cripple these networks, harming students and library patrons and undermining online learning.
The SHLB Coalition also urged the FCC not to limit the funding to certain types of cybersecurity defenses and asked that the definition of permitted expenses be kept broad to encompass new technologies, including both on-premises and cloud-based cybersecurity services.
The FCC will For more information about the pilot program, visit www.FCC.gov.
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About SHLB: The SHLB Coalition is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) public interest organization that supports open, affordable, high-quality broadband connections for anchor institutions and their surrounding communities. The SHLB Coalition is based in Washington, D.C. and has a diverse membership of non-commercial and commercial organizations from across the United States. To learn more, visit www.shlb.org.