Broadbandmap Cell Coverage

PRELIMINARY/ITERATING SKILL (v0.x) - Query BroadbandMap-style public APIs for cellular coverage at a location, normalize results, and return a concise human...

Security Scan

The skill is internally consistent with its stated purpose: it queries public cell-coverage APIs (defaulting to broadbandmap.com), optionally geocodes addresses via OpenStreetMap, normalizes results, and returns a concise summary; nothing requested or installed is disproportionate to that goal.

Purpose & Capability

Name/description match the actual behavior: the included Python script queries a coverage API, optionally uses OSM Nominatim to geocode addresses, normalizes provider/technology fields, and prints JSON or a report. No unrelated binaries, credentials, or config paths are requested.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md restricts the runtime actions to resolving locations and calling the coverage endpoint and summarizing results. The script performs network calls to OpenStreetMap and the configured base URL/endpoint. Note: the script supports overriding base-url/endpoint/params, so if a user/agent supplies a malicious endpoint it could send requests (and any provided API key) to an arbitrary server — this is a capability of the script but consistent with the stated goal of supporting alternate API shapes.

Install Mechanism

No install spec or external downloads. The skill is instruction-only with a single included Python script using standard library modules (urllib, json), so nothing is written to disk beyond the provided file and no third-party packages are installed.

Credentials

Registry lists no required env vars; the script optionally reads BROADBANDMAP_API_KEY, BROADBANDMAP_API_BASE, and BROADBANDMAP_API_ENDPOINT (documented in references). Requesting an optional API key for the target service is proportionate. Users should note these env vars are optional but, if set, the API key will be sent as Authorization and x-api-key headers to the configured endpoint.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the skill does not request any elevated or persistent system privileges, nor does it attempt to modify other skills or global agent configuration. Autonomous invocation is allowed by default (normal platform behavior).

Assessment

This skill appears to do what it says: it will perform HTTP requests to OpenStreetMap (for geocoding) and to the configured coverage API (default https://broadbandmap.com). It optionally accepts an API key which will be sent in Authorization and x-api-key headers. Before using, confirm you trust the base-url/endpoint you supply (don't point it at unknown servers), and only provide BROADBANDMAP_API_KEY for a trusted API. Review the included script if you need to be sure the behavior matches your security needs (there are no hidden obfuscated sections). If you plan to run this in an automated agent, be aware the agent will make external network calls and could send any provided API key to the configured endpoint.

Status: Preliminary skill (v0.x). This is an intentionally small first release and is expected to evolve quickly.

Use this skill to answer: “How good is cell coverage here?” for a specific location.

Quick workflow

1. Resolve location to coordinates (lat/lon).
2. Run scripts/cell_coverage_lookup.py to call the coverage API.
3. Summarize key results:
   • top carriers
   • network tech (4G/5G)
   • confidence/quality fields if present
4. Include caveats when API fields are missing or endpoint behavior is unknown.

Run the script

python3 scripts/cell_coverage_lookup.py --lat 39.7392 --lon -104.9903

Default endpoint used by this skill:

• GET /api/v1/location/cell?lat={lat}&lng={lng}
• Optional filters: network (att|verizon|t-mobile|us-cellular|dish|gci|cellcom|c-spire), tech (4g|5g)

Address mode (uses OpenStreetMap Nominatim geocoding first):

python3 scripts/cell_coverage_lookup.py --address "Denver, CO"

Optional overrides and filters:

python3 scripts/cell_coverage_lookup.py \
  --lat 39.7392 --lon -104.9903 \
  --network verizon \
  --tech 5g \
  --format report

Advanced endpoint overrides:

python3 scripts/cell_coverage_lookup.py \
  --lat 39.7392 --lon -104.9903 \
  --base-url "https://broadbandmap.com" \
  --endpoint "/api/v1/location/cell" \
  --param-lat lat --param-lon lng \
  --api-key "$BROADBANDMAP_API_KEY"

Output contract

The script prints JSON by default with:

• input: address/lat/lon used
• request: final URL and query params
• response: parsed API JSON (or raw body)
• summary: best-effort normalized fields (providers, technologies, notes)
• errors: any recoverable errors

Use --format report for a concise human-readable output.

Example commands

# Basic lookup by address
python3 scripts/cell_coverage_lookup.py --address "Austin, TX" --format report

# Filter to one network and 5G only
python3 scripts/cell_coverage_lookup.py --address "Seattle, WA" --network verizon --tech 5g --format report

# Raw JSON for automation/pipelines
python3 scripts/cell_coverage_lookup.py --lat 34.0522 --lon -118.2437 --format json

Known limitations

• This skill is a preliminary v0.x release and will be iterated/enhanced.
• API is alpha and may change schema/limits without notice.
• Default public limit is low (~60 requests/hour/IP).
• Coverage maps are modeled estimates and may differ from real-world signal.

Response style

When replying to users:

• Start with a one-paragraph answer.
• Then list providers/technologies in bullets.
• End with one caveat sentence: coverage maps are estimates and real-world signal may vary.

references/

Read references/api-notes.md when endpoint details need adjustment.

Links

• Full coverage map: https://broadbandmap.com/coverage
• Developer resources: https://broadbandmap.com/developers