FCC Search

Search Tips

Once you know the basics of FCC search, you might want to try Advanced Search Page, which offers numerous options for making your searches more precise and getting more useful results.

With Advanced Search, you can search for pages that only:

• Contain ALL the search terms you type in
• Contain the exact phrase you type in
• Contain at least one of the words you type in
• Do NOT contain any of the words you type in
• Were created in a certain file format
• Have been updated within a certain period of time
• Are located within a certain site

You can also improve your searches by adding "operators" to your search terms in the search box, or selecting them from the Advanced Search page.

Advanced search operators include:

• Include Search
• Synonym Search
• OR Search
• Domain Search
• Numrange Search
• Other Advanced Search Features

FCC Search ignores common words and characters such as where, the, how, and any digits and letters that slow down your search without improving the results. We'll indicate whether a word has been excluded by displaying details on the results page below the search box.

If a common word is essential to getting the results you want, you can include it by putting a "+" sign in front of it. (Be sure to include a space before the "+" sign.)

For example, here's how to ensure that FCC Search includes the "How" in a search for How to Contact the FCC:

If you want to search not only for your search term but also for its synonyms, place the tilde sign ("~") immediately in front of your search term.

For example, here's how to search for telecommunications and procedure information:

To find pages that include either of two search terms, add an uppercase OR between the terms.

For example, here's how to search for auction 83 or 85:

Sometimes the best way to ask a question is to get the search to 'fill in the blank' for you. You can do this by adding an asterisk "*" in the part of the sentence or question that you want filled in.

For example, here's how you'd search for when auction 73 begins:

• File format: Specify the file format you'd like in your results
• Occurrences: Specify where your search terms occur on the page - anywhere on the page, in the title, or in a URL to the page.
• Filter: search only a specific section of the site, or exclude a section from your search.