Authority Network America: Network Data Integrity Policy

The Authority Network America data integrity policy governs how provider information, licensing records, geographic coverage data, and quality benchmarks are maintained across the eight member sites in the network. Accuracy standards apply uniformly from initial data submission through ongoing verification cycles, ensuring that service seekers, industry professionals, and researchers encounter information that reflects verifiable, current standing rather than outdated or unverified claims. This reference documents the definition, operational mechanism, applicable scenarios, and decision thresholds that determine how data is accepted, retained, updated, or removed across the network.

Definition and scope

Data integrity, as applied within this network, refers to the completeness, accuracy, consistency, and verifiability of all structured information published across member sites. The scope encompasses four primary data classes:

1. Provider identity records — business name, physical address, license number, and primary trade classification
2. Licensing and credential status — issuing authority, license tier, expiration date, and disciplinary flags
3. Geographic service coverage — state, county, or metro-level service zones tied to verified licensing jurisdiction
4. Quality and compliance benchmarks — ratings, complaint records, and verification tier assignments per the Network Quality Benchmarks framework

The policy applies equally to all eight member sites regardless of trade vertical. A provider listed on National Plumbing Authority, which covers licensing standards, code compliance, and contractor verification across plumbing trades, is held to the same data accuracy threshold as a provider listed on National HVAC Authority, which maps HVAC contractor licensing requirements and equipment certification standards across US jurisdictions.

Data integrity obligations under this policy align with Federal Trade Commission standards for accuracy in commercial directories (FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. § 45) and with NIST guidance on information quality (NIST SP 800-188).

How it works

The network operates a three-stage data lifecycle: ingestion, verification, and maintenance.

Stage 1 — Ingestion
Provider data enters the network through the structured intake process documented in the Network Provider Onboarding workflow. At intake, each record must include a state-issued license number traceable to the relevant licensing board, a physical service address, and a primary trade classification. Records missing any of these 3 required fields are flagged as incomplete and withheld from publication.

Stage 2 — Verification
Submitted records are cross-referenced against state licensing board databases maintained by the relevant regulatory authority for each trade. For electrical contractors, that means the applicable state electrical board. For roofing contractors listed on National Roof Authority, which tracks roofing contractor licensing, bonding requirements, and storm-damage claim regulations by state, verification includes confirming that the contractor's license is active in the claimed service jurisdiction and has no current suspension flags.

Stage 3 — Maintenance
Published records are subject to a 180-day review cycle. Any record that cannot be re-verified against a live state database during a scheduled review is downgraded to unverified status and removed from active listings within 30 days if verification cannot be completed. The Network Update Log tracks all status changes at the record level.

The Provider Listing Standards page defines the specific field requirements and acceptable documentation formats for each trade vertical.

Common scenarios

Scenario A — License expiration mid-cycle
A contractor listed on National Electrical Authority, which catalogs electrical contractor licensing requirements, master electrician certification standards, and permit compliance across all 50 states, allows a state license to lapse between the 180-day review cycles. When a discrepancy is flagged through a third-party complaint or automated database check, the record is immediately moved to an unverified queue. The contractor has 14 days to submit proof of renewal before the record is suppressed.

Scenario B — Geographic coverage mismatch
A plumbing contractor claims service coverage in 12 counties but holds a license valid in only 8 of those counties under state law. The record is corrected to reflect only the 4 counties where licensure is confirmed, and the discrepancy is logged in the provider's compliance history.

Scenario C — Duplicate record submission
Two separate submissions arrive for the same contractor entity under slightly different business name variations. The deduplication protocol, detailed in the Contractor Verification Framework, resolves the conflict by matching license numbers and physical addresses. The earlier verified record is preserved; the duplicate is marked inactive.

Scenario D — Pool and exterior trade cross-listings
Contractors operating across pool installation and roofing trades — relevant to both National Pool Authority, which covers pool contractor licensing, safety regulations, and equipment standards, and National Roof Authority — require separate license verifications for each trade vertical. A single verified record does not carry over across verticals.

Decision boundaries

The following thresholds define how integrity determinations are made:

The distinction between verified and unverified status is not a quality judgment about the provider — it reflects only whether the network has been able to confirm licensure through a traceable public source. This distinction is fully explained in the Authority Designation Explained reference.

Appeals of integrity decisions follow the protocol outlined in the Network Compliance Requirements documentation.

References

• Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. § 45 — FTC Legal Library
• NIST SP 800-188, De-Identifying Government Datasets — NIST CSRC
• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5, Security and Privacy Controls — NIST CSRC
• FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection — Business Guidance on Accuracy
• National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies (NASCLA)