PUBLIC I^W 104-104—FEB. 8, 1996 110 STAT. 59 "(C) does not include an affiliate of any such company, other than an affiliate described in subparagraph (A) or (B). "(36) CABLE SERVICE. —The term 'cable service' has the meaning given such term in section 602. "(37) CABLE SYSTEM.—The term 'cable system' has the meaning given such term in section 602. "(38) CUSTOMER PREMISES EQUIPMENT.—The term 'customer premises equipment' means equipment employed on the premises of a person (other than a carrier) to originate, route, or terminate telecommunications. "(39) DIALING PARITY. — The term 'dialing parity' means that a person that is not an affiliate of a local exchange carrier is able to provide telecommunications services in such a manner that customers have the ability to route automatically, without the use of any access code, their telecommunications to the telecommunications services provider of the customer's designation from among 2 or more telecommunications services providers (including such local exchange carrier). "(40) EXCHANGE ACCESS.— The term 'exchange access' means the offering of access to telephone exchange services or facilities for the purpose of the origination or termination of telephone toll services. "(41) INFORMATION SERVICE.— The term 'information service' means the offering of a capability for generating, acquiring, storing, transforming, processing, retrieving, utilizing, or making available information via telecommunications, and includes electronic publishing, but does not include any use of any such capability for the management, control, or operation of a telecommunications system or the management of a telecommunications service. "(42) INTERLATA SERVICE.— The term 'interLATA service' means telecommunications between a point located in a local access and transport area and a point located outside such area. "(43) LOCAL ACCESS AND TRANSPORT AREA. —The term 'local access and transport area' or 'LATA' means a contiguous geographic area— "(A) established before the date of enactment of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 by a Bell operating company such that no exchange area includes points within more than 1 metropolitan statistical area, consolidated metropolitan statistical area, or State, except as expressly permitted under the AT&T Consent Decree; or "(B) established or modified by a Bell operating company after such date of enactment and approved by the Commission. "(44) LOCAL EXCHANGE CARRIER.—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 section 332(c), except to the extent that the Commission finds that such service should be included in the definition of such term. "(45) NETWORK ELEMENT.— The term 'network element' means a facility or equipment used in the provision of a telecommunications service. Such term also includes features, func-
�
