Telecommunications carrier means and includes every corporation, company, association, joint stock company or association, firm, partnership or individual, their lessees, trustees or receivers appointed by any court whatsoever that owns, controls, operates or manages, within this State, directly or indirectly, for public use, any plant, equipment or property used or to be used for or in connection with, or owns or controls any franchise, license, permit or right to engage in the provision of, telecommunications services between points within the State which are specified by the user. "Telecommunications carrier" includes an Electing Provider, as defined in Public Utilities Act [220 ILCS 5/13-506.2].
Public Utilities Act [220 ILCS 5/13-202.5] - Incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) means, with respect to an area, the telecommunications carrier that provided noncompetitive local exchange telecommunications service in that area on February 8, 1996, and on that date was deemed a member of the exchange carrier association pursuant to 47 C.F.R. 69.601(b), and includes its successors, assigns, and affiliates.
Public Utilities Act [220 ILCS 5/13-506.2] - Electing Provider means a telecommunications carrier that is subject to either rate regulation pursuant to Section 13-504 or Section 13-505 or alternative regulation pursuant to Section 13-506.1 and that elects to have the rates, terms and conditions of its competitive retail telecommunications solely determined and regulated pursuant to the terms of this Article.
Public Utilities Act [220 ILCS 5/13-209] - Competitive Telecommunications Service means a telecommunications service, its functional equivalent or a substitute service, which, for some identifiable class or group of customers in an exchange, group of exchanges, or some other clearly defined geographical area, is reasonably available from more than one provider, whether or not such provider is a telecommunications carrier subject to regulation under this Act. A telecommunications service may be competitive for the entire state, some geographical area therein, including an exchange or set of exchanges, or for a specific customer or class or group of customers, but only to the extent consistent with this definition.