Illinois Administrative Code › Title 83 - PUBLIC UTILITIES › Part 790 - INTERCONNECTION › Subpart A - DEFINITIONS › Section 790.100 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
"Act" means the Public Utilities Act [220 ILCS 5 ].
"Adjacent space collocation" is a type of physical collocation
				  that, in the event space is legitimately exhausted in a particular incumbent local
				  exchange carrier (ILEC) premises, an ILEC must make available in adjacent controlled
				  environmental vaults or similar structures, to the extent technically
				  feasible.
"Advanced services" is defined as high speed, switched, broadband,
				  wire line telecommunications capability that enables users to originate and receive
				  high-quality voice, data, graphics or video telecommunications using any
				  technology.
"Bona fide request" means a written request by a
				  telecommunications carrier for interconnection for the purpose of exchange of local
				  traffic, access or connection to an unbundled network element (including
				  combinations and collocation arrangements) that is customized or different in
				  quality from those recognized under the Illinois Commerce Commission's (Commission)
				  requirements, included in existing interconnection agreements, or currently deployed
				  in any other ILEC's network.
"Caged collocation" is a type of physical collocation whereby the
				  collocation space is dedicated to the telecommunications carrier by placing a chain
				  link fence or other structure around the telecommunications carrier's collocation
				  space (not including a top). This space shall be made available by an ILEC to a
				  telecommunications carrier in 50 square feet increments and access to the space
				  shall be limited to the telecommunications carrier and any of its authorized
				  representatives.
"Cageless collocation" is a type of physical collocation that
				  allows a telecommunications carrier to collocate in increments as small as a single
				  bay or a single rack in any unused space in an ILEC's premises, without the ILEC
				  requiring the construction of a cage or similar structure and without the ILEC
				  requiring intermediate interconnection when direct connection to the ILEC's network
				  is technically feasible.
"Central office" or "CO" means a location within a local exchange
				  area where subscriber lines or interoffice trunks are connected to a local exchange
				  carrier's switch.
"End user" means any person, corporation, partnership, firm,
				  municipality, cooperative, organization, governmental agency, building owner, or
				  other entity provided with a telecommunications service for its own consumption and
				  not for resale. [220
				  ILCS 5/13-217 ]
"Federal Act" means the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (
				  47 USC
				  151 ).
"FCC" means Federal Communications Commission.
"High frequency portion of the loop" or "HFPL" means the frequency
				  range above the voice band on a copper loop facility that is being used to carry
				  analog circuit-switched voice band transmissions. Use of the word "copper" is not
				  intended to limit an ILEC's obligation to provide competitive local exchange
				  carriers (CLECs) with access to the fiber portion of a digital loop carrier loop for
				  the provision of line-shared digital subscriber line services.
"Incumbent local exchange carrier" or "ILEC" means, with respect
				  to an area, the telecommunications carrier that provided noncompetitive local
				  exchange telecommunications service in that area on February 8, 1996, and on that
				  date was deemed a member of the exchange carrier association pursuant to
				  47 CFR
				  69.601(b), and includes its
				  successors, assigns, and affiliates. [220
				  ILCS 5/13-202.5]
"Interconnection" means the point in a network where one
				  telecommunications carrier or end user interfaces with the ILEC's network or the
				  network provided by another telecommunications carrier under the provisions of this
				  Part.
"Interexchange carrier" means any telecommunications carrier that
				  is certificated to provide interexchange services (see Section 13-403 of the Act
				  [220
				  ILCS 5/13-403 ]) within Illinois as defined in Section
				  13-205 of the Act [220
				  ILCS 5/13-205 ].
"Legitimately exhausted" means that all space in a central office
				  that can be used or is useful to locate telecommunications equipment in any of the
				  methods of collocation available is exhausted or completely occupied.
"Local exchange carrier" or "LEC" means a telecommunications
				  carrier under the Act that is a provider of local exchange telecommunications
				  services as defined in Section 13-204 of the Act [220
				  ILCS 5/13-204 ].
"Loop" means a transmission path capable of transporting analog or
				  digital signals from the network interface at a customer's premises to a
				  distribution frame, digital signal cross-connect panel, or similar demarcation, that
				  is accessible to the telecommunications carrier or end user. Loop types are
				  distinguished primarily by their electrical interface, not by the type of
				  transmission facility used.
"Meet point" means a point of interconnection between two
				  networks, designated by two telecommunications carriers, at which point one
				  carrier's responsibility for service begins and the other carrier's responsibility
				  ends.
"Physical collocation" means the type of interconnection provided
				  by an ILEC to a telecommunications carrier or end user where the telecommunications
				  carrier or end user locates its equipment within space assigned by the LEC for the
				  telecommunications carrier's or end user's exclusive use and where the
				  telecommunications carrier or end user has physical access and control over its
				  equipment subject to the provisions of this Part, FCC rules, any applicable tariff,
				  and any agreement.
"Premises" refers to an ILEC's central offices, remote terminals,
				  tandem offices, and serving wire centers, as well as all buildings and structures
				  owned or leased by an ILEC to house its network facilities, and all structures that
				  house ILEC facilities on public rights-of-way, including, but not limited to, vaults
				  containing loop concentrators or similar structures.
"Rating point" means a point used in calculating the length of
				  interoffice special access links.
"Rural telephone company" means a rural telephone company as
				  defined by the Federal Act (
				  47 USC
				  153(37) ).
"Serving wire center" means the location in the LEC network that
				  serves a telecommunications carrier's (such as an interexchange carrier) point of
				  presence.
"Shared collocation" means a type of physical collocation in which
				  two or more telecommunications carriers share a collocation space pursuant to the
				  terms and conditions agreed to by the telecommunications carriers.
"Special access or private line" means a transmission path that
				  connects customer-designated premises directly through a local exchange carrier's
				  hub or hubs where bridging or multiplexing functions are performed, or to connect a
				  customer-designated premises and a serving office, and includes all exchange access
				  not utilizing the local exchange carrier's end office switches.
"Subloops", as defined in
				  47 CFR
				  51.319(a)(2) as of September 12,
				  2001, mean any portion of the loop that it is technically feasible to access at
				  terminals in the ILEC's outside plant. No later amendments or editions are included
				  in this incorporation.
"Technically feasible" means that 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 ILEC must
				  modify its facilities or equipment to respond to such request does not determine
				  whether satisfying such request is technically feasible. An ILEC that claims that it
				  cannot satisfy such request because of adverse network reliability impacts must
				  prove to the Commission by clear and convincing evidence that such interconnection,
				  access, or methods would result in specific and significant adverse network
				  reliability impacts. A requesting telecommunications carrier seeking a particular
				  collocation arrangement, either physical or virtual, is entitled to a presumption
				  that such arrangement is technically feasible if any LEC has deployed such
				  collocation arrangement in any ILEC premises.
"Telecommunications carrier" means any telecommunications carrier,
				  as defined in Section 13-202 of the Act [220
				  ILCS 5/13-202 ] providing local exchange telecommunications
				  services as defined in Section 13-204 of the Act. In addition, a telecommunications
				  carrier is any entity certificated by the Commission under Section 13-401, 13-403,
				  13-404, or 13-405 of the Act [220 ILCS 5/13-401, 13 -403, 13-404, and
				  13-405].
"Tier 1 LEC" means a local exchange carrier having annual gross
				  revenues from regulated telecommunications operations of $100 million or
				  more.
"Virtual collocation" means an offering by an ILEC that enables a
				  telecommunications carrier or end user to specify equipment to be used for
				  interconnection for the purpose of accessing LEC, switched and special access
				  services or access to unbundled network elements in an ILEC's premises and
				  electronically monitor and control the telecommunications carrier or end user's
				  communications channels terminating in such equipment.