CHAPTER 5
TERMS
1.NECA- Nation Exchange Carrier Association
-Formed in 1983 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as a
not-for-profit membership corporation, NECA plays an important role in
administering the FCC's access charge plan -- a plan that helps ensure that
telephone service remains available and affordable in all parts of the country.
Directly and through its subsidiaries, NECA also administers a number of other
significant federal and state programs, each designed to keep the United States
telecommunications system the most widely used in the world.
NECA is governed by a board of directors
<director.htm> elected annually by its local telephone company members.
The 15-member board includes telephone company representatives as well as
individuals from outside the telephone industry.
2.Exchange Network Facilities for Interstate Access (ENFIA) Exchange Network
Facilities for Interstate Access (ENFIA) is AT&T's pricing arrangement for
local loops offered to Other Common Carriers (OCCs) network to the local
telephone company's central office (CO).
3. Feature Group A- Offers access to the local
ecchange carriers network through ta sucbscriber type line connection
arrrangement uset in the rearly days of
OCC's, until equal access using tan access tandern central office is
available.
4. Feature Group B- is simialre to FGA, but
provides a higher quality trunk connection from end CO to the IX carriers
faciliteise, instead of teh subsciber type line. The IC customercan origingatea
call form anywhere within the LATA, while FGA requires customers to initiate
the call form within the local exchange carrier connectiong to the IXC. FGB
billing to the IX are on a flat usege basi, adn a dicount is applicaible.
5.Freature Group C is the traditional toll service arrangements offerd by LECs to
AT&Tprior to breakup of the BELL System. Quality is uperior, and the ervice
includes automatic nuberidntification of teh callng party, answerback, and
disconnection supervision, and teh subscribers can use either a dial or touch
tone pad. The FGC service is offerd only to AT&T without a discount.
6.Feature Group D is a clss of sevice assocated
with equal access arrangements. All IX carriers enjoy identical connections to
the local exchange carrier. All customer dial the smae number of digits, and
can reach teh predetermined IX of therir choice by dialing 1 plus the telephone
number being called. When equal acess is implementd , all other features groups
convert to FGD count. In some cases an IX carrier may desire to maintain reates
will apply.
7.CABS- Carrier Access Billing- Acess charges
that are applied to each IXC accourding to the LATA in which they originateed
or terminated toll traffic on the LEC local network.
8.Incumbent LECs- Short for incumbent local exchange
carrier. An ILEC is a telephone company that was providing local service when
the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was enacted. Compare with CLEC, a company
that competes with the already established local telephone business
9.CLEC- A Competitive Local Exchange Carrier is
a telephone company that competes with an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier
(ILEC) such as a Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC), GTE, ALLNET, etc.
With the passage of the Telecommunications Act
of 1996, there has been an explosion in the number of CLECs. The Act allows
companies with CLEC status to use ILEC infrastructure in two ways:
1) Access to UNEs
Important to CLEC telecommunications networking
is the availability of unbundled <network.htm> elements or UNEs (through
a collocation arrangement). UNEs are defined by the Act as any "facility
or equipment used in the provision of a telecommunications service," as
well as "features, functions, and capabilities that are provided by means
of such facility or equipment." For CLECs the most important UNE available
to them is the local loop, which connects the ILEC switches <switch.htm>
to the ILEC's present customers. With the local loop, CLECs will be able to
connect their switches with the ILEC's switches, thus giving them access to
ILEC customers.
2) Resale
Another option open to CLECs is the resale
strategy. The Act states that any telecommunications services ILECs offer at
retail, must be offered to CLECs at a wholesale discount. This saves the CLEC
from having to invest in switches, fiber optic transmission facilities, or
collocation arrangements.
In any case, a CLEC may decide on one or the
other or even both. So, you can see why obtaining CLEC status is very
beneficial, especially for <ISP.htm>s, who may easily get access to the
copper loops and other switching elements necessary to provide <xDSL.htm>
services.
Recently courts, in response to the growth of
cable Internet access, have also required cable companies to follow the same
guidelines as ILECs.
Applying for CLEC status is a very tedious and
complex process that involves a Regulatory Attorney or Consultant, the State
Public Utilities Commission, and about 50 other steps. But remember, it will be
worth it, and now is a good time, because the courts continually are trying to
force ILEC costs to CLECs down and are making access to UNEs easier in the name
of fair competition. So, get in before regulators begin to re-regulate the
other way.
10. ETCs-Eligible Telecommunication Carriers
-An State selected LEC to recieve Federal universal service support.
11.TRS-Telecommunications Relay Services fund a
nationwide program taht helps speech and hearing impaird individuals make
telephone calls, using specialized equipment, to others with convential CPE
facititeis.
12.Traffic Sensitive costs- elements that are
used exclusivley for hauling tooll traffic beyond the exchange carriers end
central office.
13. Non Traffic Sensitive cost- are elements
involving the end central office and the lines to the end user premises all of
twich are used intermittently for local, intrastate,and interstated toll.
1. Message Telecommunications Service (MTS) - is the official designation
for long distance, or toll , calls. It is a tow way , interexchange communication for voice, data, facsimile,
image and other forms of intelligence.
2. Wide Area Telecommunications Service(WATS)- is a discounted MTS offering.
Because the subscriber commits to using long distance facilities in advance,
the rates are cheaper than the regular MTS toll rates.
3. Exchange Telecommunications Service- the term used for local or nontoll
calling.
4. Inside Plant- facilities used to bring services to the CPE and is Located
at the CO
5. Outside Plant(OSP)-facilities used to bring services to the CPE and is
Located outside the CO
6. Feeder Cables- the cables connecting CO's to OSP's and CEV's etc.
7. Distribution Cables-feeder cables are devided in to smaller bundles
called Distribution Cables
8. Jumper wires- used to cross connect feeder blocks and distribution block.
Done by placeing between terminal blocks.
9. Line-The communication path that connects subscribers CPE to a switching
system.
10. Trunk-The communications
path that connects two switching systems
11. Trunk Circuit-a constance
interface between the switch and the transmisson facility.
12. Network Interface Device
(NID)-The device that the LEC uses to
protect and communicate with the CPE.
13. Closure- is used to
achieve a physical connections of the drop to the distribution facility
14. Ready access splice case-
is when the closure is supported by an aerial cable
15. CEV-Controlled
Environmental Vaults- Under ground chambers that have the OSPs cross connect
terminal cabinets in them.
16. Service Entrance-the
physical entry of feeders in to the CO building.
17. Toll Tandems-Tandems that
are involved with setting up connections for toll calls over long distances
where direct end office trunks cant exist.
18. Multiplexing-superimposeing
several conversations simultaneously on a single physical communication path by
means of transmission system.
CHAPTER
5
ACCESS
CHARGES
·
THIS
CHAPTER DEALS WITH THE LECS A LITTLE BIT MORE PAIDE BACK SINGLE TO LATER
RESULTS OF FCC AND FEDERLA GOVERNMENT ENACTED COMPENTITION.
·
MFJ-REMOVED
50% OF THE RBOCS INCOME BY PROHIBITING RBOCS FROM F INTERATA TOLL.
·
OCCS
NEEDE TO REMBECS THE LECS
·
FCC
PASSES A SPECIAL TARIFF ENFIA-(EXCHANGE NETWORK FACILITIES FRO INTERSTAE
ACCESS) CHARGED ON A MINUTE BY MINUTE BASE
·
OCCs-
COULD GET UP TO 55% DISCOUNT OFACEE
CHARGE
·
IN
THE END THE OCCs AY 100% OF TEH ENFIA
TARIFF
·
IXCs
CONTINUED TO PAY AND END USERS GOT CHARFGED FOR USE OF LESS ASSESTS.
·
NEC-NATIONAL
EXCAHNGE COMMISITON- SPONCERED COLLECTIONS OF MONIES FOR LECs AND DISTRIBUTION
OF MONIES FOR LECs. THE MONEY LEFT OVER WAS GIVEN TO THE LARGEST LEC.
<---POOL COMMON LINE TARIFF AND REVENEW POOL. <--- HELPED SMALL HIGH PRICE TELCOs HOLD DOWN THEIR
ACCESS CHARGE RATES.
·
EVENTUALY
ROBCs AND LARGE ITCs LEFT NEC. BUT STILL HAD TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE POOL.
·
CABs(CARRIER
ACCESS BILLING)-SPECIALIZED
WAY THE LEC BILLED IXC (WAS ITEMIZED) BASED ON WHERE CALL ORIGINATED FROM WITH IN LATA AND TERMAINATED.
·
RESULTING
REVENUE IS 70% OF LECs INCOME
·
FCC
ASKED LECs TO FILED THEIR ACCESS CHARGES BASED ON TS(TRAFIC SENSITIVE) &
NTS(NON TRAFIC SENCETIVE)
·
NTS
LOCAL SUBSCIRIBER LOOP (END USER) A FLAT RATE WA CHARGED- THAT IS CALLED THE
END USER COMMON LINE CHARGE.(EULC)
·
IXCs
MUST PAY SWITCHED ACCESS SERVICE CHARGE FOR TS & NTS END C/O SWITCHING FUNCTING ASED ON FEATURE
GROUP A,B,C,,D
·
A-IXC BILLED BY FLAT MONOTARY RATE
RATEHR THEN ENFIA MINUITE BY MINUITE RATE.
·
B-ORIGINATE CALL ANY WAERE IN THE
LATA , NOT JUST THE LECs UARENTEES HIGH ER QUALITY TRUNK CONNECTIONS.(TRUNK -
CONNECTION BETWEEN CENTRAL OFFICES)
·
C-OFFERD ONLY TO AT&T WITHOUT
DISCOUNT (TRADITIONAL TOLL SERVICE) ARRANGEMET OFFERED BY LECs TO AT&T BEFORE BREAKUP HAD GOOD LINES
DISCONNECT SUPERVISSION ETC. (AT&T DOES NOT GET THE DISCONT BUT ALL OTHERS
DO)
·
D- ALL IXCs GET AN EQUAL ACCESS
RATEAND ARE BILLE FOR MESURED USE.
·
SPECIAL
ACCESS CAHRGE(WHAT IXC PAY FOR ON
SWITVHED PRIVATE LINE SERVICES.
·
ETCs-ELIGIBLE
TELECOMMUNICATIONS CARRIERS) RUAL AREAS
·
SINCE
THE TELCOM ACT OF 1996 THE FCC WANTS EVERYONE TO INTERCONNECT TO EVERYONE.
·
EXAMPLE
IF YOU CHANGE YOU KEEP YOU SAME PHONE NUMBER
·
INCUMBENT
LEC- MUST SERVE THE THE CLEC-(COMPETITIVE
LOCAL EXCHANGE CARRIER) THE
INCOMBETN LEC IS THE ALREADY EXISTNG LEC IN AN AREA AS OF 2/8/96 AND
COMPETITIVE OR CLEC IS ONE WHO COMES IN TO COMPETE.
·
INCUMBETNT
LEC- FCC IMPLEMENTING NEW RULES INCUMBETN LEC MUST PROVIDE AND TECHNIALL
FEASIBLE POINT FOR CLEC TO INTRECONNECT.
·
FCC
WANTS COMPETITORS TO HAVE EQUAL ACCESS BUT THEYDO WANT THE APPERIENCE OF
PROTECTIONSIMS.
CHAPTER
6
SERVICE
ENTRY -AKA FIREWALL
TLP-
·
TANDEM
OFFICEFS-MOST SET UP TOLL CALLS,WHERE THE END OFFICE TRUNKS CANNOT EXISTS
·
TOLL
TANDEMS- THEIR TRUNKS ARE CALLED ITTs(INTER TOLL TRUNK)
·
OTHER
TOLL TANDEMS TRUNKS ARE CALLED TOLL COMPLETING OR TOLL CONECTING TRUNKS
·
FORIEN
EXCHANGE TRUNK- a trunk that connects to a different CO then the one serviceing
them.
·
ClOSED
END- the end of connected to user’s CPE
where the call con progress no further.
·
OPEN
END-The opposite end that originates the dial tone.
·
OPX-OFF
PREMISESE EXTENSION-REPEARTER OF EXTERNDER.
·
LATA
to LATA in another state---interstate/inter LATA
·
LATA
to LATA in same state---intrastate/inter LATA
·
Within
the same LATA ---intrastate/intra LATA
·
WATS-Wide
Area Telecommunications Service
o
WATS-outward-where
the person dialing the call is charged for the long distance call
§
DDD-Direct
Distance Dialing- where you don’t use the operator in order to make a toll call
o
WATS-inward-Where
the people who are being called are charged for the long distance call (exp. 1
800, 1 888, 1 900,
·
Private
Line Service- These are direct dedicated line from one point to another.
·
Exchange
Service- Local or non tolling calls.
·
OSP-Outside
Plant- all equipment and devices that are not located in the CO.
·
CEV-Controlled
Environmental Vaults-these are underground switching stations with controlled
environments.
·
NID-Network
Interface Device- It is a serge protector from lighting or high voltage.
·
Closure-a
weather proof box that allow the drop to connect to the line that leads back to
the CO
o
Ready
Access Spice Case-when the line come form an aerial cable.
o
Underground
Terminal Box or Pedestal- when the cable comes from a berried line
·
Service
Entrance- Actual entry of the feeders into the CO
·
End
Office Trunks-trunks between end office in different geoigraphical locations
·
ITT-Intertoll
Trunks- communication paths between toll tandems.
·
TCT-Toll
Completing or Toll Connecting Trunks- toll tandems trunks that can connected to
any other type of office.
·
KTS-Key
Telephone Systems- This is a very low tech physical way of phone switching.
·
PBX-Private
Branch Exchange-switching system similar to the trunk switches in the CO’s
·