What is the difference between a local exchange carrier and an interexchange carrier quizlet?

An ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier) is a telephone company in the U.S. that was providing local service when the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was enacted. ILECs include the former Bell operating companies (BOCs) which were grouped into holding companies known collectively as the regional Bell operating companies (RBOCs) when the Bell System was broken up by a 1983 consent decree. ILECs are in contradistinction to CLEC (competitive local exchange carriers).

A "local exchange" is the local "central office" of an LEC. Lines from homes and businesses terminate at a local exchange. Local exchanges connect to other local exchanges within a local access and transport area (LATA) or to interexchange carriers (IXC) such as long-distance carriers AT&T, MCI, and Sprint.

This was last updated in March 2008

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§ 64.4001 Definitions.

Terms in this subpart have the following meanings:

(a) Automatic number identification (ANI). The term automatic number identification refers to the delivery of the calling party's billing telephone number by a local exchange carrier to any interconnecting carrier for billing or routing purposes.

(b) Billing name and address (BNA). The term billing name and address means the name and address provided to a [LEC] by each of its local exchange customers to which the [LEC] directs bills for its services.

(c) Customer. The term customer means the end user to whom a local exchange carrier or interexchange carrier is providing local exchange or telephone toll service.

(d) Interexchange carrier (IXC). The term interexchange carrier means a telephone company that provides telephone toll service. An interexchange carrier does not include commercial mobile radio service providers as defined by federal law.

(e) Local exchange carrier (LEC). The term local exchange carrier means any person that is engaged in the provision of telephone exchange service or exchange access. Such term does not include a person insofar as such person is engaged in the provision of a commercial mobile service under § 332(c), except to the extent that the Commission finds that such service should be included in the definition of that term.

(f) Preferred interexchange carrier (PIC). The term preferred interexchange carrier means the carrier to which a customer chooses to be presubscribed for purposes of receiving intraLATA and/or interLATA and/or international toll services.

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