(240) Tandem-switched transport--Transmission of traffic
between the serving wire center and another CTU office that is switched
at a tandem switch and charged on a usage basis.
(241) Tariff--The schedule of a utility containing
all rates, tolls, and charges stated separately by type or kind of
service and the customer class, and the rules and regulations of the
utility stated separately by type or kind of service and the customer
class.
(242) Telecommunications provider--As defined in the
Public Utility Regulatory Act §51.002(10).
(243) Telecommunications relay service (TRS)--A service
using oral and print translations by either live or automated means
between individuals who are hearing-impaired or speech-impaired who
use specialized telecommunications devices and others who do not have
such devices. Unless specified in the text, this term shall refer
to intrastate telecommunications relay service only.
(244) Telecommunications relay service (TRS) carrier--The
telecommunications carrier selected by the commission to provide statewide
telecommunications relay service.
(245) Telecommunications utility--
(A) a public utility;
(B) an interexchange telecommunications carrier, including
a reseller of interexchange telecommunications services;
(C) a specialized communications common carrier;
(D) a reseller of communications;
(E) a communications carrier who conveys, transmits,
or receives communications wholly or partly over a telephone system;
(F) a provider of operator services as defined by §55.081,
unless the provider is a subscriber to customer-owned PTS; and
(G) a separated affiliate or an electronic publishing
joint venture as defined in the Public Utility Regulatory Act, Chapter
63.
(246) Telephones intended to be utilized by the public--Telephones
that are accessible to the public, including, but not limited to,
pay telephones, telephones in guest rooms and common areas of hotels,
motels, or other lodging locations, and telephones in hospital patient
rooms.
(247) Telephone solicitation--An unsolicited telephone
call.
(248) Telephone solicitor--A person who makes or causes
to be made a consumer telephone call, including a call made by an
automatic dialing/announcing device.
(249) Test year--The most recent 12 months, beginning
on the first day of a calendar or fiscal year quarter, for which operating
data for a public utility are available.
(250) Texas Universal Service Fund (TUSF)--The fund
authorized by the Public Utility Regulatory Act, §56.021 and
1997 Texas General Laws Chapter 149.
(251) Tier 1 local exchange company--A local exchange
company with annual regulated operating revenues exceeding $100 million.
(252) Title IV-D Agency--The office of the attorney
general for the state of Texas.
(253) Toll blocking--A service provided by telecommunications
carriers that lets consumers elect not to allow the completion of
outgoing toll calls from their telecommunications channel.
(254) Toll control--A service provided by telecommunications
carriers that allows consumers to specify a certain amount of toll
usage that may be incurred on their telecommunications channel per
month or per billing cycle.
(255) Toll limitation--Denotes both toll blocking and
toll control.
(256) Total element long-run incremental cost (TELRIC)--The
forward-looking cost over the long run of the total quantity of the
facilities and functions that are directly attributable to, or reasonably
identifiable as incremental to, such element, calculated taking as
a given the CTU's provision of other elements.
(257) Transitioning company--An incumbent local exchange
company for which at least one, but not all, of the company's markets
has been deregulated.
(258) Transport--The transmission and/or any necessary
tandem and/or switching of local telecommunications traffic from the
interconnection point between the two carriers to the terminating
carrier's end office switch that directly serves the called party,
or equivalent facility provided by a carrier other than a DCTU.
(259) Trunk--A circuit facility connecting two switching
systems.
(260) Two-primary interexchange carrier (Two-PIC) equal
access--A method that allows a telephone subscriber to select one
carrier for all 1+ and 0+ interLATA calls and the same or a different
carrier for all 1+ and 0+ intraLATA calls.
(261) Unauthorized charge--Any charge on a customer's
telephone bill that was not consented to or verified in compliance
with §26.32 of this title (relating to Protection Against Unauthorized
Billing Charges ("Cramming")).
(262) Unbundling--The disaggregation of the ILEC's
network/service to make available the individual network functions
or features or rate elements used in providing an existing service.
(263) Unit cost--A cost per unit of output calculated
by dividing the total long run incremental cost of production by the
total number of units.
(264) Usage sensitive blocking--Blocking of a customer's
access to services which are charged on a usage sensitive basis for
completed calls. Such calls shall include, but not be limited to,
call return, call trace, and auto redial.
(265) Virtual private line--Circuits or bandwidths,
between fixed locations, that are available on demand and that can
be dynamically allocated.
(266) Voice carryover--A technology that allows an
individual who is hearing-impaired to speak directly to the other
party in a telephone conversation and to use specialized telecommunications
devices to receive communications through the telecommunications relay
service operator.
(267) Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)--The technology
used to transmit voice communications using Internet Protocol.
(268) Voice over Internet Protocol service--A service
that:
(A) uses Internet Protocol or a successor protocol
to enable a real-time, two-way voice communication that originates
from or terminates to the user's location in Internet Protocol or
a successor protocol;
(B) requires a broadband connection from the user's
location; and
(C) permits a user generally to receive a call that
originates on the public switched telephone network and to terminate
a call to the public switched telephone network.
(269) Volume insensitive costs--The costs of providing
a basic network function (BNF) that do not vary with the volume of
output of the services that use the BNF.
(270) Volume sensitive costs--The costs of providing
a basic network function (BNF) that vary with the volume of output
of the services that use the BNF.
(271) Wireless provider--A provider that:
(A) provides commercial mobile radio service as defined
in paragraph (40) of this section; or
(B) utilizes fixed wireless technology to provide local
exchange service.
(272) Wholesale service--A telecommunications service
is considered a wholesale service when it is provided to a telecommunications
utility and the use of the service is to provide a retail service
to residence or business end-user customers.
(273) Working capital requirements--The additional
capital required to fund the increased level of accounts receivable
necessary to provide telecommunications service.
(274) "0-" call--A call made by the caller dialing
the digit "0" and no other digits within five seconds. A "0-" call
may be made after a digit (or digits) to access the local network
is (are) dialed.
(275) "0+" call--A call made by the caller dialing
the digit "0" followed by the terminating telephone number. On some
automated call equipment, a digit or digits may be dialed between
the "0" and the terminating telephone number.
(276) 311 answering point--A communications facility
that:
(A) is operated, at a minimum, during normal business
hours;
(B) is assigned the responsibility to receive 311 calls
and, as appropriate, to dispatch the non-emergency police or other
governmental services, or to transfer or relay 311 calls to the governmental
entity;
(C) is the first point of reception by a governmental
entity of a 311 call; and
(D) serves the jurisdictions in which it is located
or other participating jurisdictions.
Cont'd... |