Policy & Funding

FCC Cybersecurity Pilot Update: Administrative Window Opens Aug. 26

• By Rhea Kelly
• 08/22/24

The Federal Communications Commission Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program, a $200 million, three-year program to help K-12 schools and libraries purchase eligible cybersecurity services and equipment and gather data on their efficacy, is slated to open for applications "this fall." While the exact application date has yet to be announced, the Universal Service Administrative Co. (USAC) has just released information on how to begin making administrative updates to prepare the user permissions necessary for the application process.

According to USAC, the administrative window for updating the school, district, or library information in the E-Rate Productivity Center (EPC) for the Cybersecurity Pilot Program will open on Aug. 26. "Once the administrative window is open, applicants will be able to select an Account Administrator (i.e., an employee of the school, library, school district, library system, or consortium who will manage your account), grant rights to other users (including consultants and other third parties), and provide or update information on the individual schools in your school district or library sites in your library system," the organization explained in an e-mail newsletter. 

The Account Administrator designates and determines which EPC users can view, create, certify, and submit Pilot Program forms and requests, USAC added. Notably, the number of consultants who can access an applicant's cybersecurity information in the system will be limited to three, due to the sensitive nature of the data collected in the FCC Form 484 application.

USAC has created an EPC Navigation Guide to help institutions understand how to create a new EPC user account, add users, update user permission levels, and more. It has also scheduled a free training webinar, "Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program Form 484 Part 1 Overview and FAQs," on Sept. 10, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. ET, to provide additional guidance.

In addition, USAC and the FCC have updated their frequently asked question pages for the Cybersecurity Pilot Program, available here (USAC) and here (FCC).

An e-mail signup for USAC updates on the Cybersecurity Pilot Program is available here.