E-rate Advocates Lobby FCC Staff to Support Cybersecurity Expenses

E-rate advocates urged the FCC to make cybersecurity expenses eligible for E-rate category two support, in a meeting with Wireline Bureau staff (see 2210130065). The advocates, which included the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, Consortium for School Networking and the American Library Association, noted cybersecurity is "the number one networking issue faced by schools across the country," per an ex parte filing Wednesday in docket 13-184. The FCC should consider a "trial project to test the applicability" of including such expenses under category two, adding there shouldn't be limits placed on the types of cybersecurity defenses supported, said the filing.