Sign-On Opportunity: Cyber Security Funding in E-rate
The Los Angeles Unified School District recently experienced an external cyberattack on its information-technology infrastructure. The ransomware attack took the district’s website offline, and resulted in staff and students losing access to email. Systems that teachers use to post lessons and take attendance also went down. (Source: LA Times)
LA Unified School District will be submitting a coalition letter to the FCC tomorrow (September 21) urging the FCC to immediately authorize the ongoing, permanent use of E-Rate funding for IT security infrastructure, and is inviting other organizations to sign on to the letter.
If your organization would like to sign-on to the letter, LA Unified School District is asking for signatures no later than 1:00 PM Mountain Time tomorrow (Wed, 9/21/22)
Coalition Letter Text:
Dear Chairwoman Rosenworcel and Commissioners:
The recent cyber-attack on the Los Angeles Unified School District – the second largest school district in the nation – serves as an important reminder for federal officials to take immediate action to protect our nation’s educational entities from cyber-attacks. On behalf of our local education agencies and the students and communities we serve, we urgently request the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) immediately authorize the ongoing, permanent use of existing E-Rate Program funds to bolster and maintain IT security infrastructure.
While Los Angeles Unified’s ability to intercept the attack by deactivating all of their systems was the swift and prudent action to avoid a catastrophic breach, this ransomware attack demonstrates vulnerabilities that leave school districts nationwide susceptible to future attacks. It exposes the significant risk of disruption to instruction, home to school transportation, or access to nutritious meals that would be catastrophic for students and their learning.
Many of our school districts have previously joined national organizations in urging the FCC to update the E-Rate program by including cybersecurity costs under the E-Rate Eligible Services List (ESL). For instance, we have asked FCC to modernize its definition of firewalls to make eligible the advanced technologies and software necessary to help school districts prepare for the increase in cyber-attacks and enable school districts to strengthen their security protections. Currently, school districts nationwide are fighting increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks and their aftermath with funding meant to be used for meeting the instructional and socio-emotional needs of our students. We feel that supporting cybersecurity tools through the E-Rate program is not only appropriate under the FCC’s existing goals for Universal Service, but also has reached a critical point as illustrated by the scope of the attack on Los Angeles Unified.
For these reasons, it is essential that the FCC immediately examine the E-Rate program for opportunities to allow for the use of E-Rate funds to bolster and maintain IT security infrastructure. The collaboration of state, federal, and local officials will help safeguard against future attacks and protect against further disruptions to student learning.
If you would like to sign on, or know of other organizations that would be interested, please feel free to use this link, which includes the draft language of the letter: