Sec. 51.5  Terms and definitions.

    Terms used in this part have the following meanings:
    Act. The Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
    Advanced intelligent network. Advanced intelligent network is a 
telecommunications network architecture in which call processing, call 
routing, and network management are provided by means of centralized 
databases located at points in an incumbent local exchange carrier's 
network.
    Arbitration, final offer. Final offer arbitration is a procedure 
under which each party submits a final offer concerning the issues 
subject to arbitration, and the arbitrator selects, without 
modification, one of the final offers by the parties to the arbitration 
or portions of both such offers. ``Entire package final offer 
arbitration,'' is a procedure under which the arbitrator must select, 
without modification, the entire proposal submitted by one of the 
parties to the arbitration. ``Issue-by-issue final offer arbitration,'' 
is a procedure under which the arbitrator must select, without 
modification, on an issue-by-issue basis, one of the proposals submitted 
by the parties to the arbitration.
    Billing. Billing involves the provision of appropriate usage data by 
one telecommunications carrier to another to facilitate customer billing 
with attendant acknowledgements and status reports. It also involves the 
exchange of information between telecommunications carriers to process 
claims and adjustments.
    Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS). CMRS has the same meaning as 
that term is defined in Sec. 20.3 of this chapter.
    Commission. Commission refers to the Federal Communications 
Commission.
    Dialing parity. The term dialing parity means that a person that is 
not an affiliate of a local exchange carrier is able to provide 
telecommunications services in such a manner that customers have the 
ability to route automatically, without the use of any access code, 
their telecommunications to the telecommunications service provider of 
the customer's designation from among 2 or more telecommunications 
service providers (including such local exchange carrier).

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    Directory assistance service. Directory assistance service includes, 
but is not limited to, making available to customers, upon request, 
information contained in directory listings.
    Directory listings. Directory listings are any information:
    (1) Identifying the listed names of subscribers of a 
telecommunications carrier and such subscriber's telephone numbers, 
addresses, or primary advertising classifications (as such 
classifications are assigned at the time of the establishment of such 
service), or any combination of such listed names, numbers, addresses or 
classifications; and
    (2) That the telecommunications carrier or an affiliate has 
published, caused to be published, or accepted for publication in any 
directory format.
    Downstream database. A downstream database is a database owned and 
operated by an individual carrier for the purpose of providing number 
portability in conjunction with other functions and services.
    Equipment necessary for interconnection or access to unbundled 
network elements. For purposes of section 251(c)(2) of the Act, the 
equipment used to interconnect with an incumbent local exchange 
carrier's network for the transmission and routing of telephone exchange 
service, exchange access service, or both. For the purposes of section 
251(c)(3) of the Act, the equipment used to gain access to an incumbent 
local exchange carrier's unbundled network elements for the provision of 
a telecommunications service.
    Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (Incumbent LEC). With respect to an 
area, the local exchange carrier that:
    (1) On February 8, 1996, provided telephone exchange service in such 
area; and
    (2)(i) On February 8, 1996, was deemed to be a member of the 
exchange carrier association pursuant to Sec. 69.601(b) of this chapter; 
or
    (ii) Is a person or entity that, on or after February 8, 1996, 
became a successor or assign of a member described in paragraph (2)(i) 
of this section.
    Information services. The term information services means the 
offering of a capability for generating, acquiring, storing, 
transforming, processing, retrieving, utilizing, or making available 
information via telecommunications, and includes electronic publishing, 
but does not include any use of any such capability for the management, 
control, or operation of a telecommunications system or the management 
of a telecommunications service.
    Interconnection. Interconnection is the linking of two networks for 
the mutual exchange of traffic. This term does not include the transport 
and termination of traffic.
    Local Access and Transport Area (LATA). A Local Access and Transport 
Area is a contiguous geographic area--
    (1) Established before February 8, 1996 by a Bell operating company 
such that no exchange area includes points within more than 1 
metropolitan statistical area, consolidated metropolitan statistical 
area, or State, except as expressly permitted under the AT&T Consent 
Decree; or
    (2) Established or modified by a Bell operating company after 
February 8, 1996 and approved by the Commission.
    Local Exchange Carrier (LEC). A LEC is any person that is engaged in 
the provision of telephone exchange service or exchange access. Such 
term does not include a person insofar as such person is engaged in the 
provision of a commercial mobile service under section 332(c) of the 
Act, except to the extent that the Commission finds that such service 
should be included in the definition of the such term.
    Maintenance and repair. Maintenance and repair involves the exchange 
of information between telecommunications carriers where one initiates a 
request for maintenance or repair of existing products and services or 
unbundled network elements or combination thereof from the other with 
attendant acknowledgements and status reports.
    Meet point. A meet point is a point of interconnection between two 
networks, designated by two telecommunications carriers, at which one 
carrier's responsibility for service begins and the other carrier's 
responsibility ends.
    Meet point interconnection arrangement. A meet point interconnection 
arrangement is an arrangement by which each telecommunications carrier

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builds and maintains its network to a meet point.
    Network element. A network element is a facility or equipment used 
in the provision of a telecommunications service. Such term also 
includes, but is not limited to, features, functions, and capabilities 
that are provided by means of such facility or equipment, including but 
not limited to, subscriber numbers, databases, signaling systems, and 
information sufficient for billing and collection or used in the 
transmission, routing, or other provision of a telecommunications 
service.
    Operator services. Operator services are any automatic or live 
assistance to a consumer to arrange for billing or completion of a 
telephone call. Such services include, but are not limited to, busy line 
verification, emergency interrupt, and operator-assisted directory 
assistance services.
    Physical collocation. Physical collocation is an offering by an 
incumbent LEC that enables a requesting telecommunications carrier to:
    (1) Place its own equipment to be used for interconnection or access 
to unbundled network elements within or upon an incumbent LEC's 
premises;
    (2) Use such equipment to interconnect with an incumbent LEC's 
network facilities for the transmission and routing of telephone 
exchange service, exchange access service, or both, or to gain access to 
an incumbent LEC's unbundled network elements for the provision of a 
telecommunications service;
    (3) Enter those premises, subject to reasonable terms and 
conditions, to install, maintain, and repair equipment necessary for 
interconnection or access to unbundled elements; and
    (4) Obtain reasonable amounts of space in an incumbent LEC's 
premises, as provided in this part, for the equipment necessary for 
interconnection or access to unbundled elements, allocated on a first-
come, first-served basis.
    Premises. Premises refers to an incumbent LEC's central offices and 
serving wire centers, as well as all buildings or similar structures 
owned or leased by an incumbent LEC that house its network facilities, 
and all structures that house incumbent LEC facilities on public rights-
of-way, including but not limited to vaults containing loop 
concentrators or similar structures.
    Pre-ordering and ordering. Pre-ordering and ordering includes the 
exchange of information between telecommunications carriers about 
current or proposed customer products and services or unbundled network 
elements or some combination thereof.
    Provisioning. Provisioning involves the exchange of information 
between telecommunications carriers where one executes a request for a 
set of products and services or unbundled network elements or 
combination thereof from the other with attendant acknowledgements and 
status reports.
    Rural telephone company. A rural telephone company is a LEC 
operating entity to the extent that such entity:
    (1) Provides common carrier service to any local exchange carrier 
study area that does not include either:
    (i) Any incorporated place of 10,000 inhabitants or more, or any 
part thereof, based on the most recently available population statistics 
of the Bureau of the Census; or
    (ii) Any territory, incorporated or unincorporated, included in an 
urbanized area, as defined by the Bureau of the Census as of August 10, 
1993;
    (2) Provides telephone exchange service, including exchange access, 
to fewer than 50,000 access lines;
    (3) Provides telephone exchange service to any local exchange 
carrier study area with fewer than 100,000 access lines; or
    (4) Has less than 15 percent of its access lines in communities of 
more than 50,000 on February 8, 1996.
    Service control point. A service control point is a computer 
database in the public switched network which contains information and 
call processing instructions needed to process and complete a telephone 
call.
    Service creation environment. A service creation environment is a 
computer containing generic call processing software that can be 
programmed to create new advanced intelligent network call processing 
services.
    Service provider. A service provider is a provider of 
telecommunications services or a provider of information services.

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    Signal transfer point. A signal transfer point is a packet switch 
that acts as a routing hub for a signaling network and transfers 
messages between various points in and among signaling networks.
    State. The term state includes the District of Columbia and the 
Territories and possessions.
    State commission. A state commission means the commission, board, or 
official (by whatever name designated) which under the laws of any State 
has regulatory jurisdiction with respect to intrastate operations of 
carriers. As referenced in this part, this term may include the 
Commission if it assumes the responsibility of the state commission, 
pursuant to section 252(e)(5) of the Act. This term shall also include 
any person or persons to whom the state commission has delegated its 
authority under section 251 and 252 of the Act.
    State proceeding. A state proceeding is any administrative 
proceeding in which a state commission may approve or prescribe rates, 
terms, and conditions including, but not limited to, compulsory 
arbitration pursuant to section 252(b) of the Act, review of a Bell 
operating company statement of generally available terms pursuant to 
section 252(f) of the Act, and a proceeding to determine whether to 
approve or reject an agreement adopted by arbitration pursuant to 
section 252(e) of the Act.
    Technically feasible. Interconnection, access to unbundled network 
elements, collocation, and other methods of achieving interconnection or 
access to unbundled network elements at a point in the network shall be 
deemed technically feasible absent technical or operational concerns 
that prevent the fulfillment of a request by a telecommunications 
carrier for such interconnection, access, or methods. A determination of 
technical feasibility does not include consideration of economic, 
accounting, billing, space, or site concerns, except that space and site 
concerns may be considered in circumstances where there is no 
possibility of expanding the space available. The fact that an incumbent 
LEC must modify its facilities or equipment to respond to such request 
does not determine whether satisfying such request is technically 
feasible. An incumbent LEC that claims that it cannot satisfy such 
request because of adverse network reliability impacts must prove to the 
state commission by clear and convincing evidence that such 
interconnection, access, or methods would result in specific and 
significant adverse network reliability impacts.
    Telecommunications carrier. A telecommunications carrier is any 
provider of telecommunications services, except that such term does not 
include aggregators of telecommunications services (as defined in 
section 226 of the Act). A telecommunications carrier shall be treated 
as a common carrier under the Act only to the extent that it is engaged 
in providing telecommunications services, except that the Commission 
shall determine whether the provision of fixed and mobile satellite 
service shall be treated as common carriage. This definition includes 
CMRS providers, interexchange carriers (IXCs) and, to the extent they 
are acting as telecommunications carriers, companies that provide both 
telecommunications and information services. Private Mobile Radio 
Service providers are telecommunications carriers to the extent they 
provide domestic or international telecommunications for a fee directly 
to the public.
    Telecommunications service. The term telecommunications service 
refers to the offering of telecommunications for a fee directly to the 
public, or to such classes of users as to be effectively available 
directly to the public, regardless of the facilities used.
    Telephone exchange service. A telephone exchange service is:
    (1) A service within a telephone exchange, or within a connected 
system of telephone exchanges within the same exchange area operated to 
furnish to subscribers intercommunicating service of the character 
ordinarily furnished by a single exchange, and which is covered by the 
exchange service charge, or
    (2) A comparable service provided through a system of switches, 
transmission equipment, or other facilities (or combination thereof) by 
which a subscriber can originate and terminate a telecommunications 
service.

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    Telephone toll service. The term telephone toll service refers to 
telephone service between stations in different exchange areas for which 
there is made a separate charge not included in contracts with 
subscribers for exchange service.
    Unreasonable dialing delay. For the same type of calls, dialing 
delay is ``unreasonable'' when the dialing delay experienced by the 
customer of a competing provider is greater than that experienced by a 
customer of the LEC providing dialing parity, or nondiscriminatory 
access to operator services or directory assistance.
    Virtual collocation. Virtual collocation is an offering by an 
incumbent LEC that enables a requesting telecommunications carrier to:
    (1) Designate or specify equipment to be used for interconnection or 
access to unbundled network elements to be located within or upon an 
incumbent LEC's premises, and dedicated to such telecommunications 
carrier's use;
    (2) Use such equipment to interconnect with an incumbent LEC's 
network facilities for the transmission and routing of telephone 
exchange service, exchange access service, or both, or for access to an 
incumbent LEC's unbundled network elements for the provision of a 
telecommunications service; and
    (3) Electronically monitor and control its communications channels 
terminating in such equipment.

[ 61 FR 45619 , Aug. 29, 1996, as amended at  61 FR 47348 , Sept. 6, 1996]

                 Subpart B--Telecommunications Carriers