fcc-broadband-mcp-server

Search Geographies

fcc_search_geographies

Read-onlyIdempotent

Find states, counties, congressional districts (cd), census places, CBSAs (metro areas), and tribal areas by case-insensitive literal name substring in the 2021 FCC geography lookup. Keep ambiguous matches distinct and choose the geography_type and geography_id to pass to fcc_get_coverage_summary. Include a location qualifier in name to narrow results; names do not establish exhaustive state membership. Always queries live FCC Open Data, even with the Form 477 mirror enabled, and needs no BDC credentials. Follow nextOffset until absent; no total match count is computed.

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": {
      "name": "<name>"
    },
    "name": "fcc_search_geographies"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`name`	Yes	Nonblank literal name fragment, such as "Casper, WY". Apostrophes, percent signs and underscores are literal characters.
`limit`	No	Maximum matches per page (1–100), default 20.
`offset`	No	Zero-based match offset; start at 0, then use nextOffset.
`geography_type`	No	Limit to state, county, cd, place, cbsa, or tribal; omit or leave blank to search all six.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`cap`	No	Page limit applied.
`count`	No	Number of matches on this page, not a total.
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`shown`	No	Matches shown on this page.
`notice`	No	Empty-page guidance or notice that more matches remain.
`offset`	No	Zero-based match offset applied.
`truncated`	No	More matches remain after this page.
`nextOffset`	No	Offset for the next page; absent on a final or empty page.
`dataVintage`	No	Geography lookup year.
`geographies`	No	Distinct named matches ordered by name, type, and GEOID.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed3 schema fields changedNov 3, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / geography_type / anyOf

Previous value: -[
-  {
-    "const": "",
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  {
-    "description": "Place or CBSA.",
-    "enum": [
-      "place",
-      "cbsa"
-    ],
-    "type": "string"
-  }
-]New value: +[
+  {
+    "const": "",
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "description": "Geography type to discover.",
+    "enum": [
+      "state",
+      "county",
+      "cd",
+      "place",
+      "cbsa",
+      "tribal"
+    ],
+    "type": "string"
+  }
+]

changedInput schema / properties / geography_type / description

Previous value: -"Limit to place or cbsa; omit or leave blank to search both."New value: +"Limit to state, county, cd, place, cbsa, or tribal; omit or leave blank to search all six."

changedOutput schema / properties / geographies / items / properties / geography_type / enum

Previous value: -[
-  "place",
-  "cbsa"
-]New value: +[
+  "state",
+  "county",
+  "cd",
+  "place",
+  "cbsa",
+  "tribal"
+]

AddedOct 19, 2026

TDQS

A4.8/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnly/idempotent/closed-world, and the description still adds substantive behavior: it always hits live FCC Open Data even when the Form 477 mirror is enabled, requires no BDC credentials, paginates until nextOffset is absent, and never computes a total match count. The duplicate-name caveat ('keep ambiguous matches distinct') warns about non-unique results, which annotations cannot convey.

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

Conciseness4/5

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

Front-loaded with the search scope, then follow-on usage, then operational caveats — no filler sentences. A few clauses are densely packed ('keep ambiguous matches distinct', the mirror/credentials aside), which slightly raises parsing cost but each carries distinct information.

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?

For a paginated lookup with an output schema already present, the description covers everything an agent needs: match semantics, type filter usage, hand-off to the coverage tool, pagination termination, and the fact that results are live rather than mirror-backed.

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

Parameters4/5

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

Schema coverage is 100%, so the baseline is 3, but the description adds real meaning: matching is case-insensitive and literal (apostrophes, percent signs and underscores are not wildcards), and geography_type should be omitted to span all six types. Pagination via nextOffset is restated from the schema rather than extended.

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 (Find) plus an enumerated resource set (states, counties, congressional districts, census places, CBSAs, tribal areas) and the matching rule (case-insensitive literal name substring against the 2021 FCC geography lookup). An agent can distinguish this from fcc_search_providers and fcc_search_availability purely from the text.

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

Usage Guidelines5/5

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

Gives an explicit downstream routing rule: choose geography_type and geography_id here and pass them to fcc_get_coverage_summary. It also tells the agent how to improve results (add a location qualifier to narrow) and what not to infer (names do not establish exhaustive state membership).

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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