Code of Maine Rules › 65 - DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION › 407 - PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION › Chapter 280 - PROVISION OF COMPETITIVE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES › Section 407-280-2 - DEFINITIONS

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
A.
Access Charges
. "Access
				charges" and "access rates" are those charges and rates, required by section
				8 of this Chapter, that an
				interexchange carrier (defined herein) must pay in order to provide intrastate
				interexchange service in Maine.
B.
Common Line; Common Line Costs
. A "common line" is a facility that
				carries telecommunications between a local switch and a customer premises. The
				common line is also known as a "loop," and, for local exchange purposes, a
				"link." Common lines may carry intrastate local exchange, intrastate
				interexchange and interstate communications. Common line costs are subject to
				recovery as provided in section
				8(C).
C.
Competitive Local Exchange Carrier
				(CLEC)
. A competitive local exchange carrier" (CLEC) is any local
				exchange carrier (LEC) (defined herein) that is not an incumbent local exchange
				carrier (ILEC) (defined herein).
D.
Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC)
. "Incumbent local exchange
				carrier" (ILEC) means a local exchange carrier (defined herein) or its
				successor that provided local exchange service in a defined service territory
				in Maine on February 8, 1996. A local exchange carrier that is defined as an
				ILEC pursuant to this subsection shall not be considered to be an ILEC in any
				area to which it expands its service after February 8, 1996, and in which
				another ILEC or competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) was providing service
				on the date of that expansion, unless it is found to be an ILEC by this
				Commission or by the Federal Communications Commission pursuant to 47 U.S.C.
				§252(h)(2) provider as defined by federal law.
E.
Interexchange Access
.
				"Interexchange access" and "interexchange access services" refer to the access
				services provided by local exchange carriers and used by interexchange carriers
				for the carriage of intrastate interexchange traffic. The pricing for
				interexchange access services is governed by section
				8 of this Chapter.
F.
Interexchange Carrier (IXC)
.
				An "interexchange carrier" (IXC) is any person, association, corporation, or
				other entity that provides intrastate interexchange telecommunications
				services, including a local exchange carrier (LEC), whether or not that entity
				is a public utility. An interexchange carrier includes an entity that provides
				services using facilities that it owns, leases, controls, operates or manages,
				including leased private lines or special access facilities, and an entity that
				resells switched services provided by other carriers. An IXC does not include a
				commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) provider as defined by federal
				law.
G
.
Interexchange Communications or Traffic;
				Interexchange Service
. For the purposes of this Chapter, "interexchange
				communications" or "interexchange traffic" are any switched or private line
				telecommunications between telephone exchanges or wire centers, except that
				switched traffic between points having local calling with one another (extended
				area service or EAS) under local. exchange carrier's schedule approved by the
				Commission isnot considered "interexchange." The provision of facilities or
				services for the carriage of interexchange traffic is an "interexchange
				service."
H.
Intrastate
. "Intrastate" as used in this chapter refers to the
				provision or carriage of an "intrastate communication" (as defined in this
				section), or to a carrier or service that provides intrastate
				communications.
I.
Intrastate
				Communication or Telecommunication
. An intrastate communication" or
				"intrastate telecommunication" is a telecommunication that is functionally
				intrastate, with points of origination and termination within Maine, regardless
				of the actual routing of the communication. In the case of mobile
				telecommunications services, the points of origination and termination of the
				communication shall be assumed to be the antenna locations at which the carrier
				acquires and passes on the end user's signal, unless the actual location of the
				end user can be determined.
J.
Local Exchange Carrier (LEC)
. A "local exchange carrier" (LEC) is
				a telephone utility, as defined by
				 35-A M.R.S.A.
				§102(19), that provides
				telephone exchange service or interexchange access service within a telephone
				exchange pursuant to authority granted by or under Private and Special Law of
				the State of Maine; or Public Law 1895, ch. 103, §103 or subsequent
				codification's thereof; or
				 35-A M.R.S.A.
				§2102, or prior codification's thereof;
				LECs include incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECS) (defined herein) and
				competitive local exchange carriers (CLECS) (defined herein), and local
				resellers (defined herein). A local exchange carrier does not include a
				commercial mobile radio service (CMRS)
K.
Operator Services
. "Operator
				services" are services performed by a live operator or by electronic means to
				obtain billing and other information for telephone calls not billed
				automatically to the telephone line from which the call is originated.
				Telephone calls that use operator services include, but are not limited to,
				credit or calling card calls, debit card calls collect calls, calls billed to a
				third number, and person-to-person calls. Information that is collected by an
				operator service includes, but is not limited to, a calling or credit card
				number, a debit card number, the name of the caller and a third-party billing
				number.
L.
Resale And
				Sharing
. "Resale" is the acquisition by a telecommunications carrier of
				a service authorized by the Commission from an authorized telephone utility, or
				from an entity that by lawdoes not require authority, and the subsequent sale
				of that service, in a technically unaltered form, with or without a different
				price structure, to end-users. If the carrier uses the acquired service
				together with its customers, the resale is termed "sharing."
M.
Telecommunications Carrier
. A
				"telecommunications carrier" is any person, association, corporation, or other
				entity that provides intrastate telecommunications services, whether or not
				that entity is a public utility. Telecommunications carrier include all
				interexchange carriers (IXPS) (defined herein) and all local exchange carriers
				(LECS) (defined herein).