By Dian Schaffhauser
02/17/21
A
group of K-12 organizations has banded together to urge the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) to incorporate
cybersecurity purchases into the E-rate
program. The goal of the 35-page
petition is to help school districts protect their
networks and data by expanding E-rate in three ways:
By defining all
firewall and related features as "basic" beginning in
funding year 2021;
Increasing
E-rate's five-year Category 2 budget cap in future funding years to
support additional cybersecurity investments; and
Updating the
agency's definition of "broadband" to include
cybersecurity.
"With
cyberattacks threatening the broadband networks and data of schools,
including the school systems serving some of the country's most