ITI and Cybersecurity Coalition: FCC Can Bolster IT Security Infrastructure with E-Rate Funds
WASHINGTON – Global tech trade association ITI and the Cybersecurity Coalition urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to use E-Rate program funds to bolster and maintain IT security infrastructure.
E-Rate is a critical program for school and library cybersecurity and plays an important role in educational connectivity by ensuring that school networks are resilient against cyberattacks. Cybersecurity incidents have had a grave effect on educational institutions disrupting access to networks and systems, and causing loss of sensitive data, delayed exams, and canceled school days.
“Cybersecurity is essential to the safety and reliability of the networks that keep schools and libraries connected. The Cybersecurity Coalition and ITI strongly support expanding the E-Rate program to enable schools to effectively defend against cybersecurity attacks that disrupt education and connectivity,” said ITI and the Cyber Coalition.
“We join more than a thousand U.S. school districts in calling on the FCC to authorize the permanent use of E-Rate program funds to bolster and maintain IT security Infrastructure. The E-Rate program has evolved in many areas since its inception, but it has not kept pace with changes in the cybersecurity threat landscape. The [Cybersecurity] Coalition and ITI strongly support expanding the permissible uses of E-Rate program funds to support advanced firewalls and other network security services to defend against cybersecurity attacks that increasingly disrupt education and connectivity in schools,” ITI and the Cybersecurity Coalition wrote. “We believe the FCC should ensure school districts are provided the flexibility to select a variety of solutions, including end point, network, cloud, and device security solutions, as they tailor their cybersecurity protections to meet their unique risk profiles. The Coalition and ITI appreciate the opportunity to provide these comments and engage in this important discussion.”
Read ITI and the Cybersecurity Coalition’s comments to the FCC here (opens in a new tab).
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