AI Features
Natural Language Search
Some search tools let you describe what you want in plain English. The AI turns your text into a search for you.
Where it works
| Tool | What the AI does |
|---|---|
| Form 471 Search | Turns your request into a full set of filters and runs the search |
| SPIN Tracker | Cleans up a provider name or SPIN before searching the registry |
The other search tools use filters. District C2 Lookup uses the States, City, BEN and Entity Name fields. Form 470 Search uses its filter panel.
You can tell AI search is available by the sparkle icon in the search box. When it's on, the icon is purple and example queries rotate in the box.
Form 471 Search
Type a request in the box at the top of Form 471 Search and click Ask. The AI reads your request, fills in the filter panel, switches to Detail view and runs the search. A purple label under the box shows how your request was read.
The AI can set these filters:
- States and Entity Name
- Funding Years and Funding Status
- Establishing Form 470
- Service Category — "C1" or "Category 1", "C2" or "Category 2"
- Service Type — for example "internet" for Data Transmission and/or Internet Access, "internal connections", "basic maintenance" or "BMIC", "managed internal broadband" or "MIBS", and "voice"
- Function / Service — equipment you name, such as switches, access points or WAPs, firewalls, UPS or battery backup, routers, wireless controllers, cabling or dark fiber. "C1 switches" maps to the Category 1 network equipment option, not the Category 2 one.
- Quantity Requested — unit counts such as "10 to 50 units", "at least 100 access points" or "up to 20"
- Service Provider
- Discount (%) — for example "90% discount"
- Commitment ($) — dollar amounts such as "over $50k" or "$1.2M". Dollar amounts are always read as commitments, never as quantities.
- Applicant Type
If your request asks only for pending FRNs, FRN Version is set to As Filed (Original) automatically, because that's where pending FRNs are. Otherwise it uses Most Recent (Current).
Examples
- "Funded C1 FRNs in Texas over $50k"
- "Category 2 switches, 10 to 50 units, in Ohio"
- "Pending internal connections in New York"
- "Libraries with 90% discount"
Things to know
- Ask replaces the filters in the panel with what it found. Filters you didn't mention are cleared. If you don't name a funding year, the search covers all years.
- After the AI fills the panel, you can change any filter yourself and click Search to run the search again.
- The AI doesn't set Pre-Discount ($), Contract Type or BEN. Set those in the panel.
- If the AI can't read your request, your text is used as an Entity Name search with the default filters (current funding year, Funded).
SPIN Tracker
In SPIN Tracker, the AI shortens your text to a provider name or SPIN that will match the registry. For example, "Cisco Systems" becomes "Cisco". A purple label under the box shows what was searched.
The AI can also pick out a state you mention, but SPIN Tracker searches by name or SPIN only. To narrow results by state, look at the State column.
Turning AI search off
Click the sparkle icon to turn AI search off. The icon turns gray and the box reads "Search exactly as typed...".
- SPIN Tracker searches your exact text.
- Form 471 Search uses your exact text as an Entity Name search with the default filters (current funding year, Funded).
Turn AI off when you already know the exact name, or when you'd rather set the filters yourself.
Typos
The AI handles misspellings and loose wording. It also keeps names short so the search returns results instead of nothing.
Last updated on
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