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FCC Broadband Provider Data Scraper

Overview

Extract comprehensive FCC Form 477 broadband provider deployment data from the Federal Communications Commission's open data portal. Access 181,000+ broadband service records covering providers, technologies, speeds, and census block coverage.

This actor scrapes the authoritative FCC Form 477 dataset—filed twice yearly by all facilities-based broadband providers in the United States. Perfect for:

• Municipal broadband planning — Map provider coverage by census block
• Telecom infrastructure analysis — Identify technology gaps and deployment patterns
• BEAD investment mapping — Analyze provider participation in broadband expansion programs
• Competitive landscape research — Track major providers' service areas and speed offerings
• Academic & policy research — Study broadband deployment trends over time

Key Features

• 181,000+ provider records spanning all US states and territories
• Provider information — Name, FRN (FCC Registration Number), holding company hierarchy
• Technology type — Filter by fiber, cable, DSL, fixed wireless, satellite, etc.
• Speed data — Advertised maximum download and upload speeds
• Service type — Consumer vs. business service availability
• Census block coverage — Track provider presence by geographic area
• State & regional filtering — Isolate specific markets for analysis
• Structured JSON output — Ready for analytics, mapping, and integration with GIS systems

How to Scrape FCC Broadband Provider Data

Step 1: Open the Actor in Apify Console

Navigate to the FCC Broadband Provider Data Scraper in the Apify Store or Console.

Step 2: Configure Your Search

Set the following input parameters (all optional — leave blank to search all records):

Step 3: Run the Actor

1. Enter your search parameters in the input form
2. Click "Start" to begin extraction
3. Monitor progress in the Run log

Step 4: Download Results

Once the run completes:

1. View the dataset — Click the "Dataset" tab to browse extracted records
2. Download as CSV/JSON — Use the "Download" button to export all records
3. API access — Use the Dataset API to fetch records programmatically

Technology Codes Reference

The techCode field identifies the broadband technology:

Input & Output Examples

Example 1: California Fiber Providers

Input:

{
"stateAbbr":"CA",
"techCode":"41",
"maxResults":50
}

Sample Output (JSON):

[
{
"logRecno":"16981",
"providerId":"59626",
"frn":"0020305868",
"providerName":"Ultimate Internet Access, Inc",
"stateAbbr":"CA",
"blockCode":"060374016011026",
"techCode":"41",
"maxDownloadSpeed":1000,
"maxUploadSpeed":1000,
"consumerService":1,
"businessService":1
},
{
"logRecno":"16982",
"providerId":"59627",
"frn":"0020305869",
"providerName":"Fiber Communications Inc",
"stateAbbr":"CA",
"blockCode":"060374016011027",
"techCode":"41",
"maxDownloadSpeed":500,
"maxUploadSpeed":100,
"consumerService":1,
"businessService":0
}
]

Example 2: National 25+ Mbps Download

Input:

{
"minDownloadSpeed":25,
"maxResults":100
}

This returns all providers nationwide offering at least 25 Mbps download (standard broadband definition).

Example 3: Texas Cable & Satellite Providers

Input:

{
"stateAbbr":"TX",
"providerName":"Comcast",
"maxResults":5000
}

This returns all Comcast service blocks in Texas.

Output Fields Explained

Pricing & Performance

• Cost per result: $0.002 per provider record
• API call time: Typically 15–60 seconds depending on filter complexity and result count
• Compute units: ~0.1–2 compute units per run (varies by record count)

Estimate: Extracting 1,000 records costs approximately $2.00 + compute costs

Use Cases & Applications

Municipal Broadband Planning

Assess existing provider coverage by census block to identify service gaps for municipal broadband initiatives.

BEAD Program Analysis

Map provider participation in the Broadband Equity & Access Deployment (BEAD) program funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Competitive Intelligence

Track major telecom providers' service areas, technologies deployed, and speed offerings in specific regions.

Academic Research

Study broadband deployment trends, technology adoption patterns, and gaps in underserved areas.

GIS Mapping

Combine census block codes with geographic data to create interactive broadband availability maps.

Regulatory Analysis

Monitor provider compliance with FCC Form 477 filings and analyze technology deployment timelines.

FAQ

Q: How current is the data?

A: The underlying FCC Form 477 dataset is updated twice annually (June and December). This Actor queries the latest available data.

Q: What is a "census block"?

A: A census block is the smallest geographic unit defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. The blockCode field is a 15-digit FIPS code you can cross-reference with Census Bureau GIS data for mapping.

Q: Why are there multiple records per provider?

A: Each record represents a provider's service availability in a specific census block. Large providers like Comcast have thousands of records (one per block served).

Q: Can I filter by speed inside the Actor?

A: Yes! Use the Min Download Speed and Min Upload Speed parameters to filter results (e.g., only providers offering 100+ Mbps).

Q: What does "consumerService: 1" mean?

A: This indicates the provider offers residential (consumer) broadband service in that census block. consumerService: 0 means business-only.

Q: How do I use census block codes?

A: Download Census Bureau shape files or use services like OpenStreetMap to geocode block codes. This enables GIS analysis of provider coverage.

Q: Can I get historical data?

A: The current Actor provides the latest FCC Form 477 filing. Historical data requires querying different dataset versions (available on FCC's open data portal).

Data Source & Attribution

Source: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Dataset: Form 477 Fixed Broadband Provider Data (June 2020 + latest) URL: https://opendata.fcc.gov/resource/4kuc-phrr.json License: Public domain (USA.gov)

Troubleshooting

Q: My run is very slow

A: Large result sets (50,000+) take longer to fetch. Consider filtering by state or provider name to reduce record count.

Q: I'm not seeing expected providers

A: FCC Form 477 only includes facilities-based providers (those that own infrastructure). Resellers are excluded. Also, ensure your technology code filter is correct.

Q: How do I map this data?

A: Combine the blockCode (15-digit FIPS) with Census Bureau shapefiles or use platforms like Mapbox, Carto, or QGIS. Example workflow:

1. Download results as CSV
2. Get Census tiger/line shapefiles
3. Join on blockCode (as integer: remove leading zeros)
4. Visualize in GIS

Legal & Compliance

Disclaimer: This Actor extracts publicly available FCC Form 477 data from the FCC's official open data portal. The underlying data is in the public domain. Use of this Actor does not violate FCC policies or robots.txt restrictions.

Citation: When publishing analyses, cite the FCC:

Federal Communications Commission. "Form 477 Fixed Broadband Provider Data." https://opendata.fcc.gov/resource/4kuc-phrr.json

Related Actors

• FCC License Search Scraper — Extract FCC broadcast license data
• BEAD Program Status Tracker — Monitor state broadband grant progress
• Telecom Provider Directory — Multi-source provider intelligence

Support

For issues, feature requests, or questions:

• GitHub Issues: https://github.com/[YOUR_ORG]/fcc-broadband-scraper/issues
• Email: support@[YOUR_DOMAIN].com

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