E-Rate · Cybersecurity Pilot

The FCC Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program

A $200 million, three-year test of whether cybersecurity services belong permanently on the E-Rate Eligible Services List. Funding decisions are now going out to selected participants — here’s where the program actually stands.

Program Status, as of Early 2026

$200M
Total pilot budget authorized by the FCC over a three-year term
$28.1M
Committed to date across the first two waves of funding decisions (through late January 2026)
191
Applicants that had received a funding commitment across the first two decision waves

Figures reflect FCC/USAC funding commitment decision letters (FCDLs) issued through late January 2026 and will continue to move as USAC processes the remaining pilot applications. Confirm the latest status at the FCC’s Cybersecurity Pilot Program page.

What’s Actually Eligible

The pilot operates under its own Pilot Eligible Services List (P-ESL), separate from the standard E-Rate ESL. It covers four broad categories: advanced and next-generation firewalls (including firewall-as-a-service), endpoint protection for school- and library-owned devices, identity protection and authentication services, and monitoring, detection, and response services. Basic firewall functionality that has long been eligible under standard Category 2 internal connections is not part of the pilot — the pilot exists specifically to test funding for the more advanced tooling that standard E-Rate has never covered.

Staff salaries and labor costs for the applicant’s own personnel are explicitly excluded, as is general consulting that isn’t tied directly to installing and configuring the eligible equipment and services.

Importantly, this pilot is a test. The FCC is using it to decide whether cybersecurity should become a permanent, standard-ESL-eligible category. In its FY2026 Eligible Services List, the FCC explicitly declined to expand standard cybersecurity eligibility, meaning the pilot remains the only E-Rate-adjacent funding path for most advanced cybersecurity tooling for the time being.

Track the Pilot, Prep for What’s Next

Armorstack monitors the FCC’s cybersecurity pilot rulemaking and can help districts plan cybersecurity investments that make sense whether or not standard E-Rate eligibility ever expands to cover them.