Coalition Letter to FCC Secretary Marlene Dortch: Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program, WC Docket No. 23-234

Abstract

The School and Library Advocates support the Draft Report and Order and the Commission’s efforts to secure our nation’s vulnerable institutions from the increasing threat of cyberattack. The need for expanded cybersecurity protections is urgent, and we welcome the Commission’s leadership to address this challenge. We encourage the Commission to provide increased funding and a quick timeline for upgrading the E-rate program to provide needed financial support to protect these vulnerable school and library networks for the long term. Nonetheless, the purpose of this letter is not to revisit those requests but instead to raise several questions about the Draft Report and Order and to suggest several important ways to streamline the operation of the pilot program so that it is as successful as possible.