Section 407-280-2 - DEFINITIONSA.Access Charges. "Access charges" and "access rates" are those charges and rates, required by section 8 of this Chapter, that an interexchange carrier (defined herein) must pay in order to provide intrastate interexchange service in Maine.B.Common Line; Common Line Costs. A "common line" is a facility that carries telecommunications between a local switch and a customer premises. The common line is also known as a "loop," and, for local exchange purposes, a "link." Common lines may carry intrastate local exchange, intrastate interexchange and interstate communications. Common line costs are subject to recovery as provided in section 8(C).C.Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC). A competitive local exchange carrier" (CLEC) is any local exchange carrier (LEC) (defined herein) that is not an incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) (defined herein).D.Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC). "Incumbent local exchange carrier" (ILEC) means a local exchange carrier (defined herein) or its successor that provided local exchange service in a defined service territory in Maine on February 8, 1996. A local exchange carrier that is defined as an ILEC pursuant to this subsection shall not be considered to be an ILEC in any area to which it expands its service after February 8, 1996, and in which another ILEC or competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) was providing service on the date of that expansion, unless it is found to be an ILEC by this Commission or by the Federal Communications Commission pursuant to 47 U.S.C. §252(h)(2) provider as defined by federal law.E.Interexchange Access. "Interexchange access" and "interexchange access services" refer to the access services provided by local exchange carriers and used by interexchange carriers for the carriage of intrastate interexchange traffic. The pricing for interexchange access services is governed by section 8 of this Chapter.F.Interexchange Carrier (IXC). An "interexchange carrier" (IXC) is any person, association, corporation, or other entity that provides intrastate interexchange telecommunications services, including a local exchange carrier (LEC), whether or not that entity is a public utility. An interexchange carrier includes an entity that provides services using facilities that it owns, leases, controls, operates or manages, including leased private lines or special access facilities, and an entity that resells switched services provided by other carriers. An IXC does not include a commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) provider as defined by federal law.G. Interexchange Communications or Traffic; Interexchange Service. For the purposes of this Chapter, "interexchange communications" or "interexchange traffic" are any switched or private line telecommunications between telephone exchanges or wire centers, except that switched traffic between points having local calling with one another (extended area service or EAS) under local. exchange carrier's schedule approved by the Commission isnot considered "interexchange." The provision of facilities or services for the carriage of interexchange traffic is an "interexchange service."H.Intrastate. "Intrastate" as used in this chapter refers to the provision or carriage of an "intrastate communication" (as defined in this section), or to a carrier or service that provides intrastate communications.I.Intrastate Communication or Telecommunication. An intrastate communication" or "intrastate telecommunication" is a telecommunication that is functionally intrastate, with points of origination and termination within Maine, regardless of the actual routing of the communication. In the case of mobile telecommunications services, the points of origination and termination of the communication shall be assumed to be the antenna locations at which the carrier acquires and passes on the end user's signal, unless the actual location of the end user can be determined.J.Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) . A "local exchange carrier" (LEC) is a telephone utility, as defined by 35-A M.R.S.A. §102(19), that provides telephone exchange service or interexchange access service within a telephone exchange pursuant to authority granted by or under Private and Special Law of the State of Maine; or Public Law 1895, ch. 103, §103 or subsequent codification's thereof; or 35-A M.R.S.A. §2102, or prior codification's thereof; LECs include incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECS) (defined herein) and competitive local exchange carriers (CLECS) (defined herein), and local resellers (defined herein). A local exchange carrier does not include a commercial mobile radio service (CMRS)K.Operator Services. "Operator services" are services performed by a live operator or by electronic means to obtain billing and other information for telephone calls not billed automatically to the telephone line from which the call is originated. Telephone calls that use operator services include, but are not limited to, credit or calling card calls, debit card calls collect calls, calls billed to a third number, and person-to-person calls. Information that is collected by an operator service includes, but is not limited to, a calling or credit card number, a debit card number, the name of the caller and a third-party billing number.L.Resale And Sharing. "Resale" is the acquisition by a telecommunications carrier of a service authorized by the Commission from an authorized telephone utility, or from an entity that by lawdoes not require authority, and the subsequent sale of that service, in a technically unaltered form, with or without a different price structure, to end-users. If the carrier uses the acquired service together with its customers, the resale is termed "sharing."M.Telecommunications Carrier. A "telecommunications carrier" is any person, association, corporation, or other entity that provides intrastate telecommunications services, whether or not that entity is a public utility. Telecommunications carrier include all interexchange carriers (IXPS) (defined herein) and all local exchange carriers (LECS) (defined herein).65- 407 C.M.R. ch. 280, § 2