# FCC Licenses Scraper (`parseforge/fcc-licenses-scraper`) Actor

Scrapes FCC licenses from the Universal Licensing System by state, call sign, licensee name, or application status. Returns each license as a flat row with call sign, licensee, radio service, and location.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/fcc-licenses-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Other, Lead generation
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $19.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

[![ParseForge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/main/banner.jpg)](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp)

### FCC Licenses Scraper

**Scrape FCC licenses from the Universal Licensing System by state, call sign, licensee name, or status, up to a million per run.** Every record comes with its call sign, licensee, radio service, and location. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

The FCC's Universal Licensing System holds every wireless license in the United States, but its web search is slow and manual. This Actor reads the public license database directly, filtered by state, call sign, licensee name, or application status, and returns each match in one fixed schema.

| Who uses it | What they scrape FCC ULS for |
|---|---|
| Telecom sales teams | Build lead lists of license holders by state and radio service |
| Market researchers | Track which companies hold spectrum licenses in a region |
| Compliance officers | Audit license status and expiration dates for regulatory checks |
| Journalists | Investigate who owns wireless spectrum in a local area |

### What it does

This Actor collects FCC licenses from the Universal Licensing System by state, call sign, licensee name, or application status, and returns each one as a flat row.

- 📍 **State filter:** pick any US state or territory to limit results to that jurisdiction.
- 🔎 **Call sign search:** enter an exact call sign like WQJW268 to pull a single license.
- 🏢 **Licensee name match:** find every license held by a company or person using a substring.
- 📋 **Status filter:** restrict to Active, Pending, Deleted, Granted, or Terminated licenses.
- ⚙️ **Max items control:** set a hard cap from 1 to 1,000,000 records per run.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

### What you can do with FCC ULS data

**📈 Build telecom lead lists.**

A sales team scrapes all Active licenses in Texas to get licensee names and addresses for outreach.

**🗺️ Map spectrum ownership.**

A researcher pulls every license in California to see which companies hold the most frequencies.

**✅ Audit compliance.**

A compliance officer checks Terminated licenses for a company to confirm they are no longer operating.

**📰 Investigate local spectrum.**

A journalist searches a licensee name to find all call signs and locations tied to that entity.

### Why choose this scraper

|  | What you get |
|---|---|
| **No API key** | Reads the public ULS database directly, no registration or OAuth |
| **Fixed schema** | Every license returns the same flat fields for easy import |
| **Bulk export** | Pull up to a million records per run to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML |
| **Targeted filters** | Combine state, call sign, name, and status to narrow results |

### How it compares

No other Store actor targets FCC ULS the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

| | FCC Licenses Scraper | Build it in-house | By hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Run it now, zero config | Days of engineering | None, but hours per pull |
| When FCC ULS changes | Maintained for you | You fix it | You re-learn the page |
| Proxies, retries, anti-bot | Built in | Your problem | Browser only |
| Output | Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export | Whatever you build | Copy-paste |
| Cost | Pay per result | Engineering time | Analyst hours |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor from state, call sign, licensee name, and application status, alone or together, and filters run as each license is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 200
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.021 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $2.10 |
| 1,000 results | $21.00 |
| 10,000 results | $210.00 |

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

### Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. [Upgrade your Apify plan](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

### Run it

1. [Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp).
2. Open the [FCC Licenses Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/fcc-licenses-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp).
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click **Start**.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the **Dataset** tab.

Run it programmatically through the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) (`run-sync-get-dataset-items`) or the [ApifyClient](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js) for JavaScript and Python.

### Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to FCC ULS through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=parseforge/fcc-licenses-scraper"
```

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

### Troubleshooting

**Why am I getting no results?**

Check that your filters are not too narrow. For example, an exact call sign with a status filter may return nothing if that license has a different status. Try removing one filter at a time.

**Why did the run stop before reaching my max items?**

The Actor stops when it has read all matching licenses in the ULS. If fewer than your max exist, you will get all of them.

**Why is the run slow?**

Large state-wide queries with no other filters can take time because the ULS returns many pages. Add a call sign or licensee name to speed it up.

**Why are some fields empty?**

Not every license has every field populated in the ULS. Empty fields mean the FCC did not record that data for that license.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the FCC Universal Licensing System? | The ULS is the FCC's public database of all wireless licenses, including amateur, commercial, and public safety radio services. This Actor reads that database directly. |
| Do I need an FCC account or API key? | No. The Actor accesses the public ULS search interface, so no login or key is required. |
| Can I filter by state? | Yes, use the State Code input to select any US state, territory, or Puerto Rico. |
| Can I search by call sign? | Yes, enter an exact call sign like WQJW268 in the Call Sign field to return that specific license. |
| Can I search by licensee name? | Yes, the Licensee Name Contains field matches any part of the licensee name, so you can find all licenses for a company or person. |
| What application statuses can I filter? | Active, Pending, Deleted, Granted, and Terminated. Leave the field empty to return all statuses. |
| How many licenses can I get in one run? | Set the Maximum licenses input from 1 to 1,000,000. The default is 10. |
| What format is the output? | Each license is returned as a flat row with fields like call sign, licensee name, radio service, and location. You can export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML. |
| Does this include amateur radio licenses? | Yes, the ULS includes amateur licenses along with commercial and public safety services. Use filters to narrow to what you need. |
| Is the data live? | Yes, the Actor queries the ULS at run time, so you get the current license records as of the run. |

### Related actors

Browse the full [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp) for more scrapers.

🆘 **Need help?** Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ **Disclaimer.** This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Federal Communications Commission. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.

# Actor input Schema

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of licenses to collect per run.

## `state` (type: `string`):

Two-letter state code (e.g. CA, NY)

## `applicationStatus` (type: `string`):

Filter by status

## `callSign` (type: `string`):

Exact call sign (e.g. WQJW268)

## `licenseName` (type: `string`):

Match licensee name (substring)

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "maxItems": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/fcc-licenses-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "maxItems": 10 }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/fcc-licenses-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "maxItems": 10
}' |
apify call parseforge/fcc-licenses-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/fcc-licenses-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/lQk0nhozez7FbnTQu/builds/o9lEh2jiI4kZApc1S/openapi.json