Cybersecurity Workshop

Wednesday, October 7, 2026
01:15 - 04:00 PM
Room: Richmond/Roanoke

1:15 - 2:15 pm

Panel 1: What Can We Do Now? Maximizing Category Two E-Rate Funds for Cybersecurity

The FCC's Cybersecurity Pilot Program continues to move along at its own pace, but many schools and libraries were not selected and still need help. Learn about what you *can* do within the Eligible Services List guidelines help your institutions build their infrastructure strength and make themselves less vulnerable. Examples of Category 2 funding projects from around the country will be featured.

2:15 - 2:45 pm 

Networking Break

2:45 - 3:00 pm

Presentation from Julian Albizo, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

Join us for a presentation from Julian Albizo, who works in the Infrastructure Security Division, School Safety at CISA. Mr. Albizo will discuss CISA's new K-12 Cybersecurity Foundations Resource Package. This product is a comprehensive collection of guides, videos and supplemental materials designed to help kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) schools and districts prevent, mitigate and respond to prevalent cyber threats. 

3:00 - 4:00 pm

Panel 2: E-Rate's Achilles Heel: Addressing Unfunded Cybersecurity for Schools and Libraries

Schools and libraries are facing an increasingly complex cybersecurity landscape, with threats evolving rapidly while the resources available to defend against them remain constrained. This panel will explore the current cybersecurity landscape for schools and libraries, including how threats are evolving, where attacks originate, and which vulnerabilities and challenges are most pressing. Panelists will examine the balance between technology investments and the equally critical need for user education, training, and support, as well as the importance of adaptable security infrastructure that can keep pace with emerging threats.

The discussion will also consider the economics of cybersecurity for school districts and libraries, where tight budgets and competing priorities make it difficult to sustain the level of investment needed to protect increasingly connected environments. 

Finally, panelists will draw on lessons from the FCC’s Cybersecurity Pilot Program and explore the strengths and limitations of using E-Rate funding to address cybersecurity needs, alongside the role of state and local initiatives and other potential funding mechanisms.