2 Puerto Rico nonprofits to take part in FCC cybersecurity pilot program

The three-year pilot program will utilize universal service funds to strengthen cybersecurity defenses for schools and libraries.
The Federal Communications Commission has selected 707 participants for its Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program, including two Puerto Rico-based educational institutions: Centros Sor Isolina Ferre-Tabaiba and the Boys & Girls Club of Puerto Rico.
The entities will participate in the three-year pilot program and will receive support to defray the costs of eligible cybersecurity services and equipment while providing the FCC with data to better understand whether and how universal service funds could be used to improve school and library defenses against increasing cyberattacks.
“Making sure our students have access to all the opportunities of the digital world has been a cornerstone of my time at the commission. It is also vitally important that this access is cybersecure,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.
“This issue touches every state in every region of our country, including on Tribal lands, and that range of experience is reflected in the participants announced,” she said.
“Through this program, we will be able to provide our federal, state and local government partners with actionable data about the most effective and coordinated way to address the growing cyber needs of schools and libraries,” Rosenworcel added.
The ongoing proliferation of innovative digital learning technologies, and the need to connect students, school staff, and library patrons to information, jobs and life-long learning, have led to a steady rise in the demand for bandwidth in schools and libraries.
However, the shift to modern connectivity has brought with it increased cybersecurity threats and attacks, particularly for K-12 schools and libraries, the federal agency stated.
To address this challenge, the Cybersecurity Pilot Program will allow the FCC to collect data and evaluate the effectiveness of using universal service funds for cybersecurity services and equipment to protect school and library broadband networks and data.
The $200 million budget uses reserved, unused universal service funds to ensure that gains in enhanced cybersecurity do not come at the cost of undermining E-Rate success in promoting digital o and basic connectivity.
To select pilot participants, FCC staff first looked at applicants’ discount rate and National School Lunch Program percentages, prioritizing the highest percentages.
To ensure diversity in the participant pool, including geographic diversity, staff also considered applicants’ entity type, size and location, among other things, the FCC stated.