ILEC, short for incumbent local exchange carrier, is a local telephone company in the United States that was in existence at the time of the break up of AT&T into the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs) also known as the "Baby Bells". GTE was the second largest ILEC after the Bells, but it has since been absorbed into Verizon, an RBOC. ILECs compete with upstart Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLEC). The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ... Local exchange carrier is a regulatory term in telecommunications for so-called local telephone company. ... A common carrier is an organization that transports persons or goods, and offers its services to the general public. ... This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... The break up of AT&T was initiated in 1974 by the U.S. Department of Justice anti-trust suit against the telephone monopoly. ... The Regional Bell operating companies (RBOC) are the result of the United States antitrust action against AT&T in 1983. ... General Telephone and Electronics (GTE) was the largest of the independent US telephone companies during the days of the Bell System. ... A Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC), in the United States, is a telecommunications provider company (sometimes called a carrier) that competes with other, already established carriers (generally the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC)). Local exchange carriers (LECs) are divided into incumbent (ILECs) and competitive (CLECs). ...

Definition

ILEC in the United States means, with respect to an area, the local exchange carrier (LEC) that: Local exchange carrier is a regulatory term in telecommunications for so-called local telephone company. ...

• On the date of enactment of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, provided telephone exchange service in such area
  • And on such date of enactment, was deemed to be a member of the exchange carrier association pursuant to the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R) Title 47, section 69.601(b).
  • Or is a person or entity that, on or after such date of enactment, became a successor or assignee of a member described in the previous bullet.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may, by rule, provide for the treatment of a LEC (or class or category thereof) as an ILEC if: The Telecommunications Act of 1996[1] was the first major overhaul of United States telecommunications law in nearly 62 years, amending the Communications Act of 1934, and leading to media consolidation. ... The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations (sometimes called administrative law) published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government of the United States. ... Telecommunication involves the transmission of signals over a distance for the purpose of communication. ... The FCCs official seal. ...

• Such carrier occupies a position in the market for telephone exchange service within an area that is comparable to the position occupied by a carrier described in previously
• Such carrier has substantially replaced an ILEC described previously
• Such treatment is consistent with the public interest, convenience and necessity

Public interest is a term used to denote political movements and organizations that are in the public interest—supporting general public and civic causes, in opposition of private and corporate ones (particularistic goals). ...

Duties

ILECs have the same duties of a LEC and in addition:

• Duty to negotiate - The duty to negotiate in good faith the particular terms and conditions of agreements to fulfill the duties described for a LEC and the specific ones for the ILEC. The requesting telecommunications carrier also has the duty to negotiate in good faith the terms and conditions of such agreements.
• Interconnection - The duty to provide, for the facilities and equipment of any requesting telecommunications carrier, interconnection with the LEC's network -
  • For the transmission and routing of telephone exchange service and exchange access
  • At any technically feasible point within the carrier's network
  • That is at least equal in quality to that provided by the LEC to itself or to any subsidiary, affiliate or any other party to which the carrier provides interconnection
  • On rates, terms and conditions that are just, reasonable and nondiscriminatory, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the agreement
• Unbundled access - The duty to provide, to any requesting telecommunications carrier for the provision of a telecommunications service, nondiscriminatory access to network elements on an unbundled basis at any technically feasible point on rates, terms and conditions that are just, reasonable and nondiscriminatory in accordance with the terms and conditions of the agreement. An ILEC shall provide such unbundled network elements in a manner that allows requesting carriers to combine such elements in order to provide such telecommunications service.
• Resale - The duty
  • To offer for resale at wholesale rates any telecommunications service that the carrier provides at retail to subscribers who are not telecommunications carriers
  • Not to prohibit, and not to impose unreasonable or discriminatory conditions or limitations on, the resale of such telecommunications service,
• Notice of changes - The duty to provide reasonable public notice of changes in the information necessary for the transmission and routing of services using that local exchange carrier's facilities or networks, as well as of any other changes that would affect the interoperability of those facilities and networks.
• Colocation - The duty to provide, on rates, terms and conditions that are just, reasonable and nondiscriminatory, for physical colocation of equipment necessary for interconnection or access to unbundled network elements at the premises of the local exchange carrier, except that the carrier may provide for virtual colocation if the LEC demonstrates that physical colocation is not practical for technical reasons or because of space limitations.

Good faith, or in Latin bona fides, is the mental and moral state of honesty, conviction as to the truth or falsehood of a proposition or body of opinion, or as to the rectitude or depravity of a line of conduct, even if the conviction is objectively unfounded. ... In telecommunications, interconnection is the physical linking of a carriers network with equipment or facilities not belonging to that network. ... In telecommunication, the term facility has the following meanings: 1. ... Local loop unbundling (LLU) is the process of allowing telecommunications operators to use the twisted-pair telephone connections from the telephone exchanges central office to the customer premises. ... A network element (NE) is telecommunications hardware equipment that is addressable and manageable. ... A colocation centre (colo) or carrier hotel is a type of data center where multiple telecommunications network or service providers, such as telcos or ISPs, site their connections to one anothers networks (points of presence). ...

External References

• ILEC agreement in PDF format.
• FCC CFR Title 47
• National Exchange Carrier Association