FCC API

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was established in 1934 by the Communications Act, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The FCC is an independent agency of the federal government responsible for regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable. It is based in Washington, D.C.

Over the years, the FCC has evolved to keep pace with advances in technology and changes in the communications industry. The FCC’s primary goals include promoting competition, protecting consumers, and fostering innovation. The FCC’s plans for the future include expanding broadband access, promoting digital equity, and ensuring that the United States remains a global leader in 5G technology.

The FCC has made news on numerous occasions, particularly for its decisions on issues such as net neutrality, media ownership, and spectrum allocation. For example, in 2017, they voted to repeal net neutrality rules, which had required internet service providers to treat all internet traffic equally. The decision was controversial and sparked widespread debate about the future of the internet.

The FCC’s infrastructure includes a system of regulations, licenses, and guidelines that govern the communications industry. They also maintain a website that provides information about its programs and services, as well as a database of licensed radio and television stations.

The FCC uses several APIs to support its programs and services. Some of the APIs it uses include:

FCC Licenses API – provides information about licenses issued by the FCC, including information about the license holder, the type of license, and the geographic area covered by the license.

FCC Consumer Complaints API – allows consumers to file complaints about issues such as unwanted telemarketing calls, robocalls, and spam texts.

FCC Public Inspection File API – provides access to public inspection files for radio and television stations, including information about political advertising, programming, and ownership.

The FCC has experienced some significant downtime incidents in the past. For example, in 2017, the website was overwhelmed by traffic following the vote to repeal net neutrality rules, causing the site to crash. They also experienced a data breach in 2017 that exposed the personal information of more than 100,000 individuals who had filed complaints with the agency. The FCC takes measures to safeguard its computer systems and data from cyber threats, but breaches and other security incidents can still occur.