Purchasing resources for Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC)

A study of incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) for beginners should cover the basics of what an ILEC is, how they differ from competitive local exchange carriers, and what type of service they provide.

An incumbent local exchange carrier is a telephone service carrier that was a local service provider at the time of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. They are usually Bell Telephone operating companies that were created after AT&T was disbanded. The Telecommunications Act give ILECs the right to offer long distance service as long as they allowed competition for local phone service. ILECS compete with these companies, called competitive local exchange carriers. To find out more about local exchange carriers:

1. Read general information about ILEC and CLEC companies;

2. Keep up with news about local exchange carriers;

3. Get an incumbent local exchange listing for your area and find out how services compare to each other.

Read articles and reports about incumbent and competitive local exchange carrier companies

Beyond the basics of their structure and competition, there is plenty of technical information about CLECs and ILECs available online. Read reports and articles to get more information about competitive local exchange and incumbent local exchange carrier companies.

Compare companies on a local exchange carrier list

To get an overview of what is available in your area, you'll have to do a thorough research. Find out about CLECs and ILECs in your area and compare rates and services.
Federal Communications Commission to get information about regulations or how to file a complaint.

Get news about the incumbent and competitive local exchange carrier industry

Keep up with news and events about exchange carrier companies. Although not many new companies come on the scene, there is still a lot going on, like advancements in technology and new regulations.

• When doing research about incumbent and independently owned local exchange carriers in your area, be sure to find out who owns the infrastructure. In most cases, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier that owns the lines and leases them to the competitive local exchange carriers. Since they don't own the lines or equipment, CLECs often don't have much control over system outages and maintenance.