A recurring fixed charge for IEC or LEC service at the lowest level. A local loop may have multiple rate elements associated with it, which make up the fixed portion of the monthly phone bill. For example: Local Access, Local Mileage, Entrance facilities, Channel Termination, Interexchange Access, etc.

Standards published by AT&T, OCCs,LECs, and IECs that define service availability, cost and provisioning procedures.

Regional Bell Operating Company. ( Baby Bell ) Bell operating companies established after the AT&T divestiture.

Protocol that improves Internet telephone calls by adding special information to the voice data packets to help programs reassemble them more efficiently.
See Also: Packetization

A set of numbers on a calling card used to add additional funds, usually the last several digits of a PIN.

A calling card used which can be refilled with units by the addition of funds to the calling card account without purchasing of a new phone card or a new PIN.

One of the seven "Baby Bell" Companies created by the 1982 Modified Final Judgment that specified the terms of the AT&T Divestiture. The seven RHCs include: NYNEX, Bell Atlantic, Bell South, Southwestern Bell, U.S. West, Pacific Telesis, and Ameritech. "RBOC" is sometimes used informally to refer to the Regional Holding Companies defined in the 1982 MFJ. (See Bell Operating Companies - There are 19 BOCs).

FCC, PUC, Federal Courts (e.g. MFJ), etc.

Directory of State Public Utilities Commissions

A long-distance carrier (IEC) that does not own a network, but leases bulk network capacity from a Facilities-Based Carrier and resells IEC network access to consumers often at a lower rate.
See also: Switched Reseller, Switchless Reseller

An individual (non-business) telephone service subscriber.

With 800 Number Portability, the Number Administration Service Center (NASC) allows the RespOrg to make changes such as carrier, termination, 800 call routing (by time of day, location.) A Letter Of Agency (LOA) must be on file to change the RespOrg for each customer / account.

Toll Free Telephone Service.

Toll Free Telephone Service.

Switching device that that directs traffic through the Internet, or LAN Intranets.