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Allentown School District Receives Grant for Cybersecurity Pilot Program

Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program

ALLENTOWN, PA — The Allentown School District has been awarded a $985,238 grant from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to participate in the FCC’s Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program.

The district is one of  645 schools and districts, 50 libraries, and 12 consortia nationwide chosen for the three-year program, which aims to enhance cybersecurity defenses in schools and libraries. The grant will help defray costs for eligible cybersecurity services and equipment while providing FCC with data to assess how universal service funds can improve protections against increasing cyberattacks on school and library networks.

"Ensuring our students have access to safe and secure digital learning environments is critical to preparing them for the future,” said Dr. Carol D. Birks, Superintendent & Chief Executive Officer of the Allentown School District. “This pilot program aligns with our Strategic Plan’s focus on leveraging technology to enhance education while safeguarding our students and staff from evolving cyber threats. We are grateful for this opportunity to strengthen our cybersecurity infrastructure and further support digital equity in Allentown."

“Making sure our students have access to all the opportunities of the digital world has been a cornerstone of my time at the Commission.  It is also vitally important that this access is cybersecure,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “This issue touches every state in every region of our country, including on Tribal lands, and that range of experience is reflected in the participants announced today. Through this program, we will be able to provide our federal, state, and local government partners with actionable data about the most effective and coordinated way to address the growing cyber needs of schools and libraries.” 

The ongoing proliferation of innovative digital learning technologies, and the need to connect students, school staff, and library patrons to information, jobs, and life-long learning have led to a steady rise in the demand for bandwidth in schools and libraries. However, the shift to modern connectivity has brought with it increased cybersecurity threats and attacks, particularly for K-12 schools and libraries.  

To address this challenge, the Cybersecurity Pilot Program will allow the FCC to evaluate the effectiveness of using universal service funds for cybersecurity services and equipment to protect school and library broadband networks and data. The $200 million budget uses reserved, unused universal service funds to ensure that gains in enhanced cybersecurity do not come at the cost of undermining E-Rate success in promoting digital opportunities for all and basic connectivity. 

To select Pilot participants, consistent with the Commission’s rules, Commission staff first looked at qualifying applicants’ discount rate and National School Lunch Program percentages, prioritizing the highest percentages.  To ensure diversity in the participant pool, including geographic diversity, staff also considered applicants’ entity type, size, and location, among other things, as directed by the Commission.  

Consistent with the Commission’s goals, the selected participants represent a diverse set of large and small, and urban and rural schools, libraries, and consortia from various geographic areas with differing cybersecurity experiences and needs, with a particular focus on low-income and Tribal applicants.

A complete list of participants can be found on the FCC’s website