Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 810 - Public Utilities Commission › Chapter 20 - Telecommunications › Subchapter 00 - N/A › Part 1 - Regulations Governing Arbitration, Mediation, Review and Approval of Interconnection Agreement (810-RICR-20-00-1) › Section 810-RICR-20-00-1.2 - DEFINITIONS

Current through June 14, 2024
A. The meaning of terms used in these
				 regulations shall be consistent with their general usage in the
				 telecommunications industry unless specifically defined by Rhode Island law or
				 Commission regulation. As used in these rules, except as otherwise required by
				 the context:
1. "Act" means the Communications
				 Act of 1934,
				  47 U.S.C. §
												151, et seq., as amended by the
				 Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Pub. L. No.
				 104-104, 2/8/96).
2. "Arbitration" is an alternative dispute
				 resolution process in which parties present evidence and legal arguments to a
				 neutral third party (arbitrator), who renders a decision. The parties are
				 required to accept the arbitration decision, subject to Commission approval
				 pursuant to
				  47 U.S.C. §
												252.
3. "Arbitrator" means an employee of the
				 Commission, a Commissioner, or a neutral third party designated by the Commission
				 to conduct arbitration proceedings pursuant to
				  47 U.S.C. §
												252.
4. "Clerk" means the Commission clerk,
				 appointed by the Commission pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws §
											39-1-9.
5. "Commission" means the Public Utilities
				 Commission.
6. "Commission Rules"
				 means the Commission's "Public Utilities Commission Rules of Practice and
				 Procedure".
7. "CLEC" means a local
				 exchange carrier other than an incumbent local exchange carrier.
8. "FCC" means the Federal Communications
				 Commission.
9. "ILEC" means the
				 incumbent local exchange carrier, which in this jurisdiction is Verizon New
				 England, Inc., d/b/a Verizon Rhode Island. Verizon New England, Inc. is a Bell
				 operating company.
10. "Interested
				 Parties" shall initially refer to the service list attached to the docket in this
				 case. Any other person or entity who wishes to be included on this service list
				 as an interested party under these regulations may file such a request in writing
				 with the Clerk. The master list shall be kept by the Clerk and updated as
				 necessary. Any reference to service upon interested parties shall subsequently
				 mean service on all parties included on the master list as updated by the
				 Clerk.
11. "LEC" means a Local
				 Exchange Carrier, any person or entity that is engaged in the provision of
				 telephone exchange service or exchange access.
12. "Mediation" is an alternative dispute
				 resolution process in which a neutral third party (mediator) assists the parties
				 in reaching their own settlement. The mediator does not have the authority to
				 impose a resolution; the goal of the process is to help the parties achieve their
				 own resolution.
13. "Negotiation" is
				 a process in which representatives of the parties in dispute communicate their
				 differences to one another and, with this knowledge, try to resolve them.
				 Successful negotiations produce voluntary agreement over terms and conditions
				 regarding those items in dispute, which may even include methods for resolving
				 disputes over the interpretation and application of terms and conditions under an
				 existing agreement.
14. "Party" means
				 those persons who submit to the Commission for approval an arbitrated or
				 negotiated agreement pursuant to
				  47 U.S.C. §
												252(e); or a
				 person allowed by the Commission or arbitrator to intervene in a
				 proceeding.
15. "Telecommunications
				 carrier" means any entity providing or intending to provide telecommunications
				 services, except that such term does not include aggregators of
				 telecommunications services. A telecommunications carrier shall be treated as a
				 common carrier only to the extent that it is engaged in providing
				 telecommunications services.