Acceptable Use Policy

Purpose

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") governs your use of the FCC Intelligence platform, including the website, application, APIs, and all data accessed through the Service. This AUP is part of our Terms of Service and applies to all users.

We created this policy to ensure that all users can benefit from a reliable, secure, and fair platform. By using the Service, you agree to comply with this AUP.

Permitted Use

FCC Intelligence is designed for legitimate business and professional use. The following are examples of permitted uses:

• Researching FCC license data for business development, compliance, or consulting purposes
• Tracking license renewals and expirations for your own organization or clients
• Generating reports and analytics for internal business decision-making
• Using the API to integrate FCC data into your own applications (subject to plan limitations and attribution requirements)
• Academic research and analysis of FCC licensing trends
• Competitive analysis and market research within the telecommunications and radio licensing industry

Prohibited Conduct

The following activities are strictly prohibited. Engaging in any of these may result in immediate account suspension or termination:

Illegal & Harmful Activities

• Using the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law or regulation
• Harassing, threatening, defaming, or intimidating any individual or organization using data obtained from the Service
• Using the Service data for discriminatory purposes based on race, gender, religion, national origin, or other protected characteristics
• Facilitating fraud, identity theft, or any criminal activity

Unauthorized Access & Security Violations

• Attempting to access accounts, systems, or data that you are not authorized to access
• Circumventing or attempting to circumvent access controls, rate limits, or security measures
• Using the Service to probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of any system or network
• Introducing malware, viruses, trojans, worms, or other harmful code
• Interfering with or disrupting the Service infrastructure or other users' access

Data Misuse

• Scraping, crawling, or using automated means to extract data beyond your plan's API access
• Redistributing, reselling, or sublicensing Service data or Derived Data without written authorization
• Creating a competing service using data obtained from FCC Intelligence
• Bulk downloading or systematically storing data beyond what is necessary for your authorized use
• Removing or obscuring attribution to FCC Intelligence or the FCC when displaying data publicly

Account & Identity Violations

• Creating multiple free accounts to circumvent usage limits
• Sharing account credentials with unauthorized individuals
• Impersonating any person, organization, or entity
• Providing false information during registration

Data Usage Rules

When using data obtained through FCC Intelligence, you agree to the following rules:

• Attribution: When displaying or publishing FCC data obtained through our Service, include attribution such as: "Data provided by FCC Intelligence (fccintel.com), sourced from public FCC ULS records."
• No misrepresentation: Do not present Derived Data (our analytics, scores, and insights) as official FCC data or government-endorsed information.
• No data brokering: Do not resell raw data obtained from the Service or use it as the primary content of a competing data product.
• Accuracy disclosure: When sharing data externally, note that it is based on public records and may not reflect the most current FCC licensing status.
• Internal use priority: Data obtained through the Service is primarily intended for internal business use. Commercial redistribution requires a separate agreement.

API Usage Rules

If your subscription includes API access, the following additional rules apply:

• Key security: Keep your API keys confidential. Never expose them in public repositories, client-side code, or shared environments.
• Rate limit compliance: Respect the rate limits of your plan. Implement exponential backoff when receiving rate limit responses (HTTP 429).
• User-Agent header: Include a descriptive User-Agent header in API requests identifying your application.
• Caching: Cache responses appropriately (recommended: 1-24 hours depending on data type) to minimize unnecessary API calls.
• Error handling: Implement proper error handling and do not retry failed requests aggressively.
• Webhook security: Validate webhook signatures if using webhook integrations.

Rate Limits & Fair Use

To ensure fair access for all users, the following rate limits and fair use guidelines apply:

If you consistently exceed your plan's limits, we may contact you to discuss upgrading to a more appropriate plan. Significant or intentional overuse may result in temporary throttling.

Security Requirements

All users are expected to maintain reasonable security practices:

• Use strong, unique passwords for your FCC Intelligence account
• Enable multi-factor authentication when available
• Keep your API keys and authentication tokens secure
• Report any suspected security incidents or unauthorized access immediately
• Keep your systems and browsers up to date with security patches
• Do not store Service credentials in plain text or unencrypted formats

Reporting Violations

If you become aware of any violation of this AUP, please report it to us promptly:

• Email: abuse@fccintel.com
• Security issues: security@fccintel.com

Please include as much detail as possible, including the nature of the violation, any relevant URLs, timestamps, and your contact information.

Enforcement

We take AUP violations seriously. Depending on the severity and nature of the violation, we may take one or more of the following actions:

• Issue a written warning
• Temporarily suspend access to the Service
• Permanently terminate your account
• Revoke API access
• Report the activity to law enforcement if required
• Pursue legal remedies as appropriate

We will make reasonable efforts to notify you of a violation and provide an opportunity to correct it before taking enforcement action, except in cases of severe or ongoing violations that pose an immediate threat.

Contact Us

For questions about this Acceptable Use Policy, please contact us:

• Policy questions: legal@fccintel.com
• Abuse reports: abuse@fccintel.com
• General: info@fccintel.com