Cybersecurity Pilot Program

Last updated October 2026

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched the Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program (Pilot Program or Pilot) to gather the data needed to better understand whether and how universal service funds can be used to support the cybersecurity needs of schools and libraries.

The three-year Pilot Program, administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) under the oversight of the FCC, provides up to $200 million in universal service support to eligible schools and libraries to defray the costs of eligible cybersecurity services and equipment. As a general matter, the Pilot Program’s forms and processes, including those used for competitive bidding, requesting eligible services and equipment, and submitting reimbursements, are modeled after the forms and processes used in the E-Rate and the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) programs.

Pilot Program Participants Selected

On January 16, 2025, the FCC released a Public Notice announcing the schools, libraries, and consortia selected to participate in the Pilot Program. The Pilot FCC Form 471 funding application filing window ran from March 18 – September 15, 2025.

Competitive Bidding

Selected Pilot participants began the competitive bidding process once they received notice of their selection. Pilot participants submitted and certified their Pilot FCC Forms 470 in the Cybersecurity Pilot Program Portal to start the required minimum 28-day competitive bidding window. Visit the Pilot FCC Form 470 User Guide for more information.

Pilot FCC Form 484

The Pilot FCC Form 484 collects data to help the FCC evaluate whether, and to what extent, it should use the Universal Service Fund (USF) to support the cybersecurity needs of eligible schools and libraries going forward.

Eligible schools, libraries, and consortia of schools and libraries applied to participate in the Pilot Program by submitting Part 1 of the Pilot FCC Form 484 during the application filing window, which ran from September 17, 2024 through November 1, 2024. In Part 1, interested applicants submitted information about their school, library, or consortia and the type of cybersecurity services and equipment they planned to request if selected to participate in the Pilot Program.

Selected Pilot Program participants were required to provide more detailed information about their cybersecurity experiences in Part 2 of the Pilot FCC Form 484, which was due on September 15, 2025. Visit the Pilot FCC Form 484 Part 2 User Guide for more information.

The Pilot FCC Form 484 Parts 1 and 2 established a reporting baseline for purposes of participants’ initial annual reporting requirement, and Part 3 of the form will collect additional data to fulfill participants’ annual reporting requirements. Beginning in February 2027, Pilot participants will be required to submit a completed Pilot FCC Form 484 Part 3 to update the information they provided in Parts 1 and 2 of the Pilot FCC Form 484 and respond to new annual data reporting requirements. The due date for the Pilot FCC Form 484 Part 3 is based on the date the participant received its first Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL), plus 60 days, so Pilot participants will have differing annual reporting dates. For additional information on filing the Pilot FCC Form 484 Part 3, visit the FCC Form 484 webpage and Annual Reporting User Guide.

Funding Requests

After completing the competitive bidding process, participants requested Pilot Program funding using the Pilot FCC Form 471. USAC accepted funding requests from March 18, 2025, through the window close on September 15, 2025.

Stay Informed

To learn more about the Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program, visit our Learn section to find newsletters and webinars. You can also visit the FCC’s Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program website and FAQ webpage.

Pilot Program Training

USAC offers robust training to help participants navigate the Pilot Program’s reimbursement, post-commitment, and annual reporting processes. Pilot Program trainings and webinars are announced on this website and via email. Visit our Webinars section to register for upcoming webinars and view previous webinars.

Contact Us

Call us at (888) 203-8100 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET or submit a customer service case in EPC.