Welcome to the Olympic opening ceremony edition of the Weekly WHAT. We've got championship coverage of the FCC outlining plans on E-Rate, the House of Representatives making real (bipartisan!) progress on cybersecurity, and more. If you're in the mood for something more olympic focused, check out how russian hackers are taking it to visitors and journalists. Otherwise, here's what's going on back stateside:

Key Takeaway: FCC Chair Outlines E-Rate Overhaul

Federal Communication Committee (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler spent this week outlining plans to overhaul the E-Rate program, which provides funding for high-speed broadband in schools and libraries. Wheeler promised to release a Public Notice in the coming weeks seeking comment on a targeted set of issues that will lead to a complete overhaul of the program by the Spring. On Thursday, he outlined the three principles that should guide the efforts to modernize the program:

1) “high-speed connectivity to every school and library and throughout those institutions”  - this is part of meeting the President’s goal of connecting 99 percent of all students to high-speed broadband capacity in five years. Beyond faster speeds to these institutions, the FCC also wants to put greater emphasis on connectivity throughout these buildings and campuses via WiFi.

2) “update how we manage the program to make it easier and more productive” - Much of this will focus on how to streamline management, but also what gets funded.  Currently less than half of the funds are going to 100 mbps or faster internet speeds, and technologies like fax machines still being eligible for funds. This will almost certainly change.  The FCC also hopes to streamline the application process and create efficiencies, including prioritizing joint applications (more on that below).

3) “ensuring sufficient resources are made available to meet our modernization goals” - The FCC plans to double E-Rate spending on high-speed connections over the next 2 years, it will start immediately by shifting around funds. Most believe there will be an increase in the service fees that fund the E-Rate program to help achieve these goals, along with a refocus of the program to ensure the funding goes to the right places.

Why does this matter to a state CIO?  For those with at the state level, the explicit push for a shift towards prioritizing joint applications may be significant. In his speech Thursday, Wheeler explained that as of now the program “penalizes schools that apply jointly,” and he hopes to flip that on its head to prioritize those applications, citing bulk purchasing and services as a significant advantage. This could provide a greater role in E-Rate for regional authorities and statewide entities such as the state CIO’s office.  

You can read NASCIO’s thoughts on modernization of the E-rate Program--including its support for prioritization of joint applications--in our letter to the FCC in September, available here.

Other Buzz: House Homeland Security Committee Approves Cyber Bill

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Homeland Security marked up and approved HR 3696, “the National Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act of 2013” (NCCIP).  A bipartisan bill led by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) along with the Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson (D-MS), it shows promise in passing the House of Representatives.  NCCIP codifies many of the actions taken under the President’s Cybersecurity Executive Order (13636), including information sharing activities between federal, state, and local governments and their private sector counterparts.  It is part of a larger piecemeal effort from the House of Representatives to pass legislation that outlines executive authority and norms on cybersecurity.  More information on the legislation can be found here.

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