The WCB seeks comment on petitions requesting that the Commission permit the use of E-Rate funds to support advanced or next-generation firewalls and services, and network security services.
Comment Date: February 13, 2023
Reply Comment Date: March 30, 2023
Download DA 22-1315 Public Notice PDF
SECA has filed a letter with the Commission seeking for the immediate removal of firewall cost allocations for network security features and requesting that a NPRM be issued to address E-rate eligibility of other cybersecurity equipment and services.
Download Letter
The FCC released an order on September 19, 2022 granting in part a petition filed by SHLB to extended the service implementation deadline for FY2020 and FY2021 non-recurring services. The order establishes the following:
FY2022 non-recurring service requests currently have September 30, 2023 as the service implementation deadline under regular program rules.
Download DA 22-976
Statement from The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN); State E-rate Coordinators Alliance (SECA); State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA); and Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition on the recent cyber-attack on the LA Unified School District:
"The recent cyber-attack on the LA Unified School District, along with hundreds of similar attacks on schools, libraries, and other educational institutions over the past few years, highlights the urgent need for federal officials to take immediate action to protect our nation's educational entities from cyber-attacks. The FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) have previously warned that educational networks are soft targets and vulnerable to cyber-criminal behavior, but the US government has not done enough to protect these networks from harm. The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN); State E-rate Coordinators Alliance (SECA); State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA); and Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition jointly call upon the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to immediately modernize its definition of "firewalls" to allow E-rate funding to be used to safeguard school and library networks. We also urge the FCC to open a rule-making proceeding and take comment on the Petition filed by our organizations in February 2021 to adopt long-term solutions to this growing cyber security crisis."
The Petition is available at:
https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/search-filings/filing/102081871205710
About CoSN:
CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) is the premier professional association for school system technology leaders. CoSN provides thought leadership resources, community best practices and advocacy tools to help leaders succeed in the digital transformation. CoSN represents over 13 million students in school districts nationwide and continues to grow as a powerful and influential voice in K-12 education. cosn.org
About SECA:
SECA members provide E-rate coordination services in 42 states and 2 U.S. Territories. State Coordinators have daily interactions with and provide training to E-rate applicants to assist them with all aspects of the program. State coordinators serve as intermediaries between the applicant and service provider communities, the E-rate Administrator, and the Federal Communications Commission. SECA regularly communicates with the E-rate program administrator, the Federal Communications Commission, and other federal and state policy makers regarding the operation and administration of the E-rate program to convey recommendations and feedback to fulfill the goals of the program. For more information, please visit www.secaerate.net.
About SETDA:
The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) is the principal association representing U.S. state and territorial educational technology and digital learning leaders. Through a broad array of programs and advocacy, SETDA builds member capacity and engages partners to empower the education community in leveraging technology for learning, teaching, and school operations. For more information, please visit www.setda.org.
About SHLB:
The SHLB Coalition is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) advocacy organization that supports open, affordable, high-quality broadband connections for anchor institutions and their surrounding communities. The SHLB Coalition is based in Washington, D.C. and has a diverse membership of commercial and non-commercial organizations from across the United States. To learn more, visit www.shlb.org.
The Wireline Competition Bureau has announced that there is sufficient funding available to fully meet the estimated demand for both Category One and Category Two requests for E-rate supported services for Funding Year 2022.
Download DA-22-902 PDF
The WCB is inviting stakeholders to comment on the proposed Eligible Services List for Funding Year 2023.
Comment Date: September 21, 2022
Reply Comment Date: October 6, 2022
Download DA 22-878 Public Notice PDF
SECA submitted an ex parte filing to the FCC on August 3, 2022 seeking clarification on the proposal to make school bus Wi-Fi service eligible for E-rate funding.
Among other issues, SECA posed questions concerning Category One / Category Two designations, the scope of eligible equipment, cost caps, and compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act.
SECA is requesting that the FCC delay implementation until Funding Year 2024.
Download SECA Ex Parte Filing
SECA has filed Initial Comments for the Competitive Bidding Portal NPRM requesting that the Commission refrain from imposing a national E-rate bidding portal.
Download Comments
The FCC has announced that there will be a third filing window (“Window 3”) for the Emergency Connectivity Fund, which pays for internet access and connected devices for students, teachers and library patrons with an unmet need. Unmet need means that the student or teacher does not have their own computer and internet service at home that can be used for remote learning.
Window 3 opens April 28, 2022 and closes May 13, 2022.
Funding can be used to pay for connected devices as well as internet services between July 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023 (an 18 month period). However, applicants can request no more than 12 months of service costs for internet during that period and in addition the service period must be different from the months already paid for with Window 1 and 2 ECF funding. The service period for Windows 1 and 2 ends June 30, 2023.
Download DA 22-309 PDF
The Wireline Competition Bureau has granted a Motion for Extension of Time requesting 30 additional days to file comments and reply comments for the Competitive Bidding NPRM proceeding. WCB has found find that the requested extension of time brought forward by SECA and other stakeholders is warranted, and has extended the comment and reply comment dates to April 27, 2022 and May 27, 2022, respectively.
https://www.fcc.gov/document/wcb-extends-comment-deadlines-e-rate-bidding-portal-nprm
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