Topics in this Issue:
- September DLE - Data Privacy & Cybersecurity
- 2024 E-Rate Boot Camp
- Cybersecurity Pilot Update
- School Connectivity Town Hall Series
- How USF Impacts North Carolina
- Upcoming USAC Webinars
- Your School Connectivity Team
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September DLE - Data Privacy & Cybersecurity
The NC Digital Leaders Exchange is coming to a location near you soon! Each event will run from the East to the West while aligning each “exchange” with a part of the Digital Learning Plan. In September, we will highlight Cybersecurity and Data Privacy along with the typical offerings of Home Base product update sessions.
We will meet from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and lunch will be catered. Register for a date and location that best fits your schedule.
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2024 E-Rate Boot Camp
The School Connectivity team will be having two E-Rate Boot Camps this fall. This two-and-a-half-day training is a hands-on deep dive into the E-Rate program for PSUs of all experience levels. Below are the links to register via Eventbrite.
Dates & Locations:
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September 24 - 26 - Courtyard by Marriott Jacksonville, NC
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October 22 - 24 - Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center
Cybersecurity Pilot Update
The DPI School Connectivity and PSU Cybersecurity would like to provide a couple of updates related to the FCC Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program. This pilot program aims to provide funding for eligible schools and libraries to improve their cybersecurity posture and protect their networks from cyber threats.
With the ever-increasing integration of digital technologies within the educational environment, cybersecurity continues to be an area of high importance, placing a significant responsibility on the PSU to secure their networks. Through the work of School Connectivity and PSU Cybersecurity programs, we have been able to leverage several resources and tools that provide high-quality protections for PSUs, but there is still work to be done in the effort to reach our goal of “helping all PSUs achieve basic cyber hygiene”.
Although many of the pilot’s details are still being determined, we wanted to share the following information and resources as we continue to build support and documentation to assist PSUs with the application process:
- NCDPI does not plan to file any statewide/consortium applications for this pilot program.
- We are working with state and federal partners to identify applicable state master contracts that PSUs can leverage for individual applications.
- A webinar hosted by E-Rate Central has been scheduled for Friday, September 13, at 10:30 AM to provide more detailed guidance on the specifics of this program and the application process. Registration for the webinar can be found on the DTL Eventbrite page at: dtl.eventbrite.com
- PSUs should continue evaluating their current cybersecurity posture in order to be prepared for the 484 application process.
- The September DTL Digital Leaders Exchange will include several sessions on Data Privacy and Cybersecurity. You can register for a DLE event near you on the DTL Eventbrite page mentioned above.
Please reach out to Tim Wease - PSU Cybersecurity for anything related to this process. We look forward to partnering with you on this pilot program.
School Connectivity Town Hall Series
New for the 2024-25 school year, the School Connectivity team will host monthly Town Halls. The first 30 minutes will be a PD on that month's topic, followed by an open Q&A on all things E-Rate. Use the link below to visit our School Connectivity Collection on the new DTL Eventbrite site to register for our Town Hall series.
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How USF Impacts North Carolina
As a part of the FCC’s response to the recent 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the Universal Service Fund (USF) was unconstitutional, the FCC released a state-by-state impact summary of funding each state has recently received from E-Rate and the other three USF programs. The summary notes that the recent 5th Circuit’s decision breaks with two earlier decisions by the 6th and 11th Circuit courts and that FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel has vowed to “pursue all available avenues for review.”
The E-Rate summary for 2022-2024 indicates that for North Carolina alone, 3,022 schools and 242 libraries received $207,161,545 for broadband connectivity and internal connections, benefiting 1,738,327 students.
Upcoming USAC Webinars
August 2024
- 8/20 - USAC webinar to review the information to be required in the Cybersecurity Pilot’s initial application, the Form 484 Part One (registration).
- 8/22 - Introductory USAC webinar for service providers new to the E-rate program (registration).
- 8/27 - USAC webinar with an overview of the Open Data system (registration).
- 8/29 - USAC Open Data training on creating reports and visualization (registration).
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