fcc-broadband-mcp-server

Search Broadband Availability

fcc_search_availability

Read-onlyIdempotent

Queries broadband providers and advertised speeds at a census block from FCC Form 477 data (as of June 2021). Answers "which ISPs serve this location and what speeds do they offer?" — the core tool for address-level broadband lookup. Requires a 15-digit census block FIPS code; use fcc_geocode_block to convert coordinates first. Data reflects ISP-reported availability at the block level, which may overstate actual coverage for some addresses.

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": {
      "block_fips": "<block_fips>"
    },
    "name": "fcc_search_availability"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`consumer`	No	Filter to consumer service (true) or business service (false). Omit to return both consumer and business offerings.
`block_fips`	Yes	15-digit census block FIPS code on 2010 census boundaries, the vintage this Form 477 dataset is keyed by (e.g., "530330081002024"). Obtain from fcc_geocode_block using address coordinates — a 2020-vintage block ID matches no deployment row.
`tech_filter`	No	Technology codes to filter, from the complete Form 477 taxonomy: 0=All other, 10=Asymmetric xDSL, 11=ADSL2, 12=VDSL, 20=Symmetric xDSL, 30=Other copper wireline, 40=Cable modem, 41=Cable modem DOCSIS 1/1.1/2.0, 42=Cable modem DOCSIS 3.0, 43=Cable modem DOCSIS 3.1, 50=Fiber to the end user, 60=Satellite, 70=Terrestrial fixed wireless, 90=Electric power line. Omit to return all technologies.
`min_speed_down`	No	Minimum advertised download speed in Mbps to include in results. Omit to return all providers regardless of speed.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`notice`	No	Recovery hint when no providers are found — suggests how to broaden the query. Absent on successful results.
`blockFips`	No	The queried census block FIPS code.
`providers`	No	ISP offerings reported for this census block.
`dataVintage`	No	Data vintage — all Form 477 data on FCC Open Data is as of June 2021. BDC bulk-file manifests for newer data require a deployment with BDC credentials.
`appliedFilters`	No	Filters applied to this query.
`totalProviders`	No	Total number of distinct holding companies offering service at this block.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed1 schema field changedOct 19, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / dataVintage / description

Previous value: -"Data vintage — all Form 477 data on FCC Open Data is as of June 2021. For newer BDC data, use fcc_list_downloads."New value: +"Data vintage — all Form 477 data on FCC Open Data is as of June 2021. BDC bulk-file manifests for newer data require a deployment with BDC credentials."

Changed6 schema fields changedAug 25, 2026

changedInput schema / $schema

Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"

addedInput schema / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +false
```

changedOutput schema / $schema

Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"

addedOutput schema / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "not": {
+      "required": [
+        "error"
+      ]
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "blockFips",
+      "providers",
+      "totalProviders",
+      "dataVintage",
+      "appliedFilters"
+    ]
+  },
+  {
+    "required": [
+      "error"
+    ]
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / properties / error

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {},
+  "description": "Present when the call failed. Absent on success.",
+  "properties": {
+    "code": {
+      "description": "JSON-RPC error code for this failure.",
+      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+      "minimum": -9007199254740991,
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "data": {
+      "additionalProperties": {},
+      "properties": {
+        "reason": {
+          "description": "Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `block_not_found`: No providers in the FCC dataset for this census block. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler.",
+          "examples": [
+            "block_not_found"
+          ],
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "recovery": {
+          "additionalProperties": {},
+          "description": "Actionable next step for the caller.",
+          "properties": {
+            "hint": {
+              "type": "string"
+            }
+          },
+          "required": [
+            "hint"
+          ],
+          "type": "object"
+        },
+        "retryable": {
+          "description": "Whether retrying may succeed.",
+          "type": "boolean"
+        }
+      },
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "message": {
+      "description": "Human-readable description of what went wrong.",
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "code",
+    "message"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

removedOutput schema / required

Removed value: -[
-  "blockFips",
-  "providers",
-  "totalProviders",
-  "dataVintage",
-  "appliedFilters"
-]

Changed4 schema fields changedAug 13, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / block_fips / description

Previous value: -"15-digit census block FIPS code (e.g., \"530330081021016\"). Obtain from fcc_geocode_block using address coordinates."New value: +"15-digit census block FIPS code on 2010 census boundaries, the vintage this Form 477 dataset is keyed by (e.g., \"530330081002024\"). Obtain from fcc_geocode_block using address coordinates — a 2020-vintage block ID matches no deployment row."

changedInput schema / properties / tech_filter / description

Previous value: -"Technology codes to filter. 50=Fiber to premises, 40–43=Cable modem, 10–12=DSL variants, 60=Satellite, 70=Fixed wireless. Omit to return all technologies."New value: +"Technology codes to filter, from the complete Form 477 taxonomy: 0=All other, 10=Asymmetric xDSL, 11=ADSL2, 12=VDSL, 20=Symmetric xDSL, 30=Other copper wireline, 40=Cable modem, 41=Cable modem DOCSIS 1/1.1/2.0, 42=Cable modem DOCSIS 3.0, 43=Cable modem DOCSIS 3.1, 50=Fiber to the end user, 60=Satellite, 70=Terrestrial fixed wireless, 90=Electric power line. Omit to return all technologies."

changedInput schema / properties / tech_filter / items / enum

Previous value: -[
-  "10",
-  "11",
-  "12",
-  "40",
-  "41",
-  "42",
-  "43",
-  "50",
-  "60",
-  "70"
-]New value: +[
+  "0",
+  "10",
+  "11",
+  "12",
+  "20",
+  "30",
+  "40",
+  "41",
+  "42",
+  "43",
+  "50",
+  "60",
+  "70",
+  "90"
+]

changedOutput schema / properties / providers / items / properties / techCode / description

Previous value: -"Technology code (e.g., \"50\" = fiber, \"40\" = cable, \"60\" = satellite)."New value: +"FCC Form 477 technology code (e.g., \"50\" = fiber, \"43\" = cable DOCSIS 3.1, \"60\" = satellite)."

Changed3 schema fields changedMay 30, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / appliedFilters

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "description": "Filters applied to this query.",
+  "properties": {
+    "consumerFilter": {
+      "description": "Consumer/business filter applied. true = consumer only, false = business only. Absent when both were returned.",
+      "type": "boolean"
+    },
+    "minSpeedDown": {
+      "description": "Minimum advertised download speed filter in Mbps. Absent when no speed filter was used.",
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "techFilter": {
+      "description": "Technology codes applied as a filter. Absent when no tech filter was used.",
+      "items": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    }
+  },
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / notice

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Recovery hint when no providers are found — suggests how to broaden the query. Absent on successful results.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedOutput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "blockFips",
-  "providers",
-  "totalProviders",
-  "dataVintage"
-]New value: +[
+  "blockFips",
+  "providers",
+  "totalProviders",
+  "dataVintage",
+  "appliedFilters"
+]

First observedMay 29, 2026

TDQS

A4.3/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare readOnly/idempotent/closed-world, so the safety profile is covered. The description adds genuinely non-obvious behavioral context: the data vintage (June 2021) and the caveat that ISP-reported block-level availability 'may overstate actual coverage for some addresses.' It does not discuss pagination or result volume, keeping it short of a 5.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Three sentences, front-loaded with what the tool does, then the required input and routing, then the important data caveat. Every sentence earns its place with no repetition of schema or annotation content.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

An output schema exists so return values need no explanation, and annotations cover the safety profile. The description supplies the remaining agent-critical context: the vintage limitation, the block-level overstatement caveat, and the geocoding prerequisite.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, so the schema already documents all four parameters, including the 15-digit pattern, the 2010-vintage constraint, and the full tech code taxonomy. The description reinforces only the block_fips requirement, adding no syntax beyond the schema — the baseline 3 is appropriate.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb and resource ('Queries broadband providers and advertised speeds at a census block'), names the underlying dataset and vintage, and even frames the natural-language question it answers. It clearly distinguishes itself from siblings like fcc_get_coverage_summary by scoping to address-level lookup.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Explicitly labels itself 'the core tool for address-level broadband lookup' and states the prerequisite (15-digit census block FIPS) plus the alternative (use fcc_geocode_block to convert coordinates first). No explicit when-not guidance, but the routing context is concrete and actionable.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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