Compare Broadband Coverage Across Areas
fcc_compare_areasRead-onlyIdempotent
Compares broadband coverage metrics across multiple geographies of the same type and returns a ranked table sorted by unserved or underserved population. Compares historical population coverage gaps; it cannot establish current BEAD eligibility or address service. Compares the first 300 distinct geography IDs and discloses duplicates, unmatched IDs and excluded IDs, or set compare_all_states=true for all 50 states + DC. Data is from FCC Form 477 (as of June 2021).
Tool call template
Replace each placeholder with a value matching the input schema. Only required parameters are included; add optional parameters as needed.
{
"id": 1,
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"arguments": {
"geography_type": "<geography_type>"
},
"name": "fcc_compare_areas"
}
}Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| sort_by | No | "unserved_pct" = share of population with no broadband (default). "unserved_pop" = raw headcount. "coverage_pct" = share with any coverage. "competitive_pct" = share with 2+ providers. Every option ranks worst-first, so rank 1 is the highest unserved share or headcount, or the lowest coverage or competitive share. | unserved_pct |
| speed_down | No | Download key for a download/upload threshold pair in Mbps: 0.2=0.2/0.2, 4=4/1, 10=10/1, 25=25/3, 100=100/10, 250=250/25, 1000=1000/100. These historical population aggregates cannot establish current BEAD eligibility or address service; 100/10 does not establish 100/20 availability. | 25 |
| tech_filter | No | Any nonempty alphabetical combination of a=ADSL/DSL, c=cable, f=fiber, o=other (symmetric DSL, other copper, power line), s=satellite, w=fixed wireless. Default acfow excludes satellite; explicit acfosw includes every technology. acfow includes all fixed wireless and is not an exact program-technology eligibility filter. | acfow |
| geography_ids | No | FIPS GEOIDs to compare. The first 300 distinct IDs are queried; remaining distinct IDs are disclosed as excluded. For all 50 states, omit and set compare_all_states=true. | |
| geography_type | Yes | Geographic level to compare. Must be uniform across all geographies in the comparison. | |
| compare_all_states | No | When true, compares all 50 states + DC. Overrides geography_ids. Requires geography_type="state". |
Output Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| areas | No | Ranked comparison of geographies by the selected sort field. | |
| error | No | Present when the call failed. Absent on success. | |
| notice | No | Composed disclosure naming unmatched retained IDs, excluded unqueried IDs and duplicate IDs with their counts. Absent when none applies. | |
| sortBy | No | Ranking field used. | |
| techFilter | No | Technology filter applied. | |
| totalAreas | No | Total number of areas compared. | |
| dataVintage | No | Data vintage — Form 477 data as of June 2021. | |
| excludedIds | No | Distinct geography IDs beyond the first 300, which were not queried. | |
| duplicateIds | No | IDs repeated in the input, listed once in first repeated-occurrence order. | |
| unmatchedIds | No | Retained geography IDs without matching Area Table data. | |
| geographyType | No | Geography type compared. | |
| speedDownMbps | No | Speed threshold in Mbps. | |
| appliedFilters | No | Filters and parameters applied to this comparison. |