Thursday, February 29 at 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Eastern

Registration is free; all attendees must register.  To register, please send an email message to Tribal.Events@fcc.gov with “Cybersecurity” in the Subject line. Please include the names and titles of anyone attending and include the Tribal affiliation. The FCC has invited leaders from all 574 federally recognized Tribes to participate in the consultation. Tribal library, school, and information technology (IT) representatives are also welcome to attend and may participate.

You may also send any questions to Tribal.Events@fcc.gov, as this email address is monitored by the Office of Native Affairs and Policy.

On November 13, 2023, the Commission released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), WC Docket No. 23-234, seeking comment on its proposal to establish a pilot program to learn more about cybersecurity and advanced firewall services that could help K-12 schools and libraries protect their broadband networks and data, while also ensuring that limited Universal Service funds are utilized in the most effective manner.

Summary:  The cybersecurity pilot program proposes to provide funding to eligible K-12 schools and libraries to defray the costs of qualifying cybersecurity and advanced firewall services to protect their broadband networks and data from the growing number of school and library-focused cyber events.  As proposed, this pilot program would provide up to $200 million over three years, and would be funded through the Universal Service Fund (USF), but budgeted separately from the Commission’s other USF programs.   

Comments can be submitted through the FCC’s Electronic Comment and Filing System in Docket No. WC 23-234 at: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings/standard 

Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request by sending an e-mail to: FCC504@fcc.gov or calling the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice).  Include a description of the accommodation you will need and tell us how to contact you if we need more information.  Please make your request as early as possible as we may be unable to fulfill last minute requests.  

If you have any questions about this Listening Session or on another issue, please reach out to the Office of Native Affairs and Policy (ONAP) at Native@fcc.gov.