110 STAT. 60 PUBLIC LAW 104-104—FEB. 8, 1996 tions, and capabilities that are provided by means of such facility or equipment, including subscriber numbers, databases, signaling systems, and information sufficient for billing and collection or used in the transmission, routing, or other provision of a telecommunications service. "(46) NUMBER PORTABILITY. —The term 'number portability' means the ability of users of telecommunications services to retain, at the same location, existing telecommunications numbers without impairment of quality, reliability, or convenience when switching from one telecommunications carrier to another. "(47) RURAL TELEPHONE COMPANY. —The term 'rural telephone company' means a local exchange carrier operating entity to the extent that such entity— "(A) provides common carrier service to any local exchange carrier study area that does not include either— "(i) any incorporated place of 10,000 inhabitants or more, or any part thereof, based on the most recently available population statistics of the Bureau of the Census; or "(ii) any territory, incorporated or unincorporated, included in an urbanized area, as defined by the Bureau of the Census as of August 10, 1993; "(B) provides telephone exchange service, including exchange access, to fewer than 50,000 access lines; "(C) provides telephone exchange service to any local exchange carrier study area with fewer than 100,000 access lines; or "(D) has less than 15 percent of its access lines in communities of more than 50,000 on the date of enactment of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. "(48) TELECOMMUNICATIONS.— The term 'telecommunications' means the transmission, between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user's choosing, without change in the form or content of the information as sent and received. "(49) TELECOMMUNICATIONS CARRIER.— The term 'telecommunications carrier' means any provider of telecommunications services, except that such term does not include aggregators of telecommunications services (as defined in section 226). A telecommunications carrier shall be treated as a common carrier under this Act only to the extent that it is engaged in providing telecommunications services, except that the Commission shall determine whether the provision of fixed and mobile satellite service shall be treated as common carriage. "(50) TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT. —The term 'telecommunications equipment' means equipment, other than customer premises equipment, used by a carrier to provide telecommunications services, and includes software integral to such equipment (including upgrades). "(51) TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICE.—The term 'telecommunications service' means the offering of telecommunications for a fee directly to the public, or to such classes of users as to be effectively available directly to the public, regardless of the facilities used.".
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