Is this a product demo?

No. It is a funding-and-architecture session. Fortinet is one of palmiq's confirmed technology partners, and FortiGate sits in the next-generation firewall product category the FCC names as eligible, but we discuss capability requirements rather than SKUs.

Will palmiq file our forms or scope our application?

No. Competitive bidding rules limit vendor involvement in a district's Form 470, and no one can guarantee a funding outcome or influence USAC review. What we bring is pre-bid engineering: capability design, budget modeling, and documentation of the cost split.

We are a small organization, not a district — is this relevant to us?

The framing is small-district and small-organization IT leaders: limited staff, multiple sites, aging perimeter gear, and a five-year infrastructure decision to make. The funding programs are K-12 and library specific; the architecture and sequencing discussion is not.

How current are the program dates you cite?

Every date and dollar figure is attributed to its source, and we flag which ones come from third parties rather than the FCC or USAC directly. Attendees get the primary links so nothing has to be taken on faith. Wisconsin DPI, for example, states the Pilot's goal is to determine what it would cost to make cybersecurity tools and services E-Rate eligible and whether the Universal Service Fund could cover it — useful context for long-range planning, but not a promise of any future permanent category.

Live webinar · Free · 45 minutes

K-12 Firewall Funding: FCC Pilot + Fortinet Upgrades two funding streams, one network design

A 45-minute working session on which funding stream pays for which part of a firewall refresh — the FCC's Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program for advanced security capability, E-Rate Category Two for the internal connections underneath it. You leave with the cap math, the sequencing, and a way to document the cost split before anything goes out to bid.

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Size the project before you scope the hardwareMost districts pick gear first and discover the budget ceiling second. We reverse that. The FCC's published budget examples and program FAQ set the pre-discount annual multiplier at $13.60 per student ($40.80 across the three-year term), a $15,000 annual floor for schools and districts with 1,100 or fewer students, and a ceiling of $13.60 per student up to $1.5 million annually (up to $4.5 million over three years) for schools and districts above 1,100 and up to 110,000 students. You leave knowing which of those three applies to you.
Why a capital-heavy year one is structurally supportedThe FCC states Pilot funding is capped over the full three-year duration rather than annually: a participant's disbursement in a given year may exceed the annual budget as long as the three-year total does not exceed three times that annual budget. We show what that means for a firewall refresh you would otherwise have to stage across budget years.
Which stream funds whatAdvanced/Next Generation Firewalls are the first named eligible Pilot category, alongside Endpoint Protection, Identity Protection and Authentication, and Monitoring, Detection, and Response. Funds For Learning reports some items, including basic firewalls and certain staff salaries, are ineligible under the Pilot — which is exactly why the basic infrastructure conversation belongs in Category Two. Final eligibility is USAC's call, decided against the FCC/USAC eligible services list and its review of each funding request, so you leave with the official list rather than our guess.
One architecture, two funding narrativesWe work through the next-generation firewall capability requirements districts actually have to specify — segmentation, encrypted traffic inspection, content filtering, SD-WAN across multiple campuses — and how to allocate cost between streams from day one instead of re-engineering after the bid. Fortinet is a palmiq technology partner; we walk capability requirements, not pre-approved models, because eligibility is USAC's decision.
Sequencing that respects competitive biddingPilot participants file a Pilot FCC Form 470 in the Cybersecurity Pilot Program Portal to open the required minimum 28-day competitive bidding window. That timing is the real deadline, and it means design and budget modeling happen well before the filing, not after.

EveryTUE

Tuesdays · 11:00 AM ET Funding K-12 network security: pairing FCC cybersecurity funding with next-gen firewall upgrades

EveryTHU

Thursdays · 2:00 PM ET Funding K-12 network security: pairing FCC cybersecurity funding with next-gen firewall upgrades

Reserve your seat

Free · 45 minutes · 12 seats per session

No sales sequence. One reminder before the session, and the recording after.

What we actually cover

What people bring to this session.

Can our district still apply to the Pilot?

No. FCC Form 484 Part 1 applications closed November 1, 2024, and the FCC announced selected participants in a Public Notice released January 16, 2025 — more than 700 schools, libraries, and consortia selected to receive up to $200 million over three years. The session runs two tracks: selected participants with budget still unspent, and the much larger group that needs a different path. We also point you to fcc.gov and usac.org to confirm the current status of any later Pilot program year before you plan around it.

We have no security team — do we even qualify for programs like this?

Per the FCC FAQ, eligibility to participate in the Pilot Program does not depend on an entity's level of cybersecurity experience. We spend time on what a small IT team can realistically own versus what belongs with a partner or a 24/7 SOC.

If we were not selected for the Pilot, what pays for the firewall?

We look at the E-Rate Category Two reset for FY2026–FY2030 and what a five-year budget you either spend or forfeit means for planning; that use-it-or-lose-it characterization comes from a third-party guide (The Network Installers), and we show you where to confirm it against USAC. Third-party E-Rate sources (E-rate in Pennsylvania, ANC Group) cite a $201.57 per-student multiplier with a floor of $30,175 per school or library and $66,385 for Tribal libraries; because those figures also come from third parties, we point you to USAC's official Category Two documentation to verify them. The FY2026 Form 471 window closed April 1, 2026, so the practical planning horizon in this session is FY2027 and pre-bid design work.

Does the district have to float the whole cost up front?

E-Rate pays as a discount rather than cash up front. The same third-party guide (The Network Installers) describes the two mechanics: districts pay their share and get reimbursed (BEAR), or the service provider invoices USAC for the discounted portion (SPI). We cover both against USAC's official invoicing guidance, why a provider's readiness to handle SPI invoicing is a legitimate selection criterion, and why Pilot reimbursement — based on the participant's discount rate, determined by economic need — means two districts buying identical hardware can face very different out-of-pocket costs.

Before you register

Common questions

Is this a product demo?: No. It is a funding-and-architecture session. Fortinet is one of palmiq's confirmed technology partners, and FortiGate sits in the next-generation firewall product category the FCC names as eligible, but we discuss capability requirements rather than SKUs.
Will palmiq file our forms or scope our application?: No. Competitive bidding rules limit vendor involvement in a district's Form 470, and no one can guarantee a funding outcome or influence USAC review. What we bring is pre-bid engineering: capability design, budget modeling, and documentation of the cost split.
We are a small organization, not a district — is this relevant to us?: The framing is small-district and small-organization IT leaders: limited staff, multiple sites, aging perimeter gear, and a five-year infrastructure decision to make. The funding programs are K-12 and library specific; the architecture and sequencing discussion is not.
How current are the program dates you cite?: Every date and dollar figure is attributed to its source, and we flag which ones come from third parties rather than the FCC or USAC directly. Attendees get the primary links so nothing has to be taken on faith. Wisconsin DPI, for example, states the Pilot's goal is to determine what it would cost to make cybersecurity tools and services E-Rate eligible and whether the Universal Service Fund could cover it — useful context for long-range planning, but not a promise of any future permanent category.

Rather talk it through first? Call 703-336-9700, or see the other sessions.