Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLEC) Key Terms

Some basic key terms for CLECs

By J. Stoltzfus, writer/programmer LOCAL CITIZEN

The Competitive Local Exchange Carrier, or CLEC, is a product of recent times. Legislation that regulates telephone service providers created the CLEC category and established how these newer competitors can offer services to clients, including unlimited long distance, digital telecom and an array of other communications features. Some reading up on basic key terms around the CLEC will help businesses see how these operations came into being and the role they play in the telecom industry.

Telephone exchange

The telephone exchange is what CLECs are built around, though some of the more recent technology renders this term antiquated. The telephone exchange, also called a switchboard, is the essential network for enabling voice telecom, from the early days of the "party line" to today's mix of analog and digital solutions.
Try: The Dubois Telephone Exchange offers local access, dial up and broadband Internet, and even web development services.

Telecommunications act of 1996

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 governs the operation of CLECs. This piece of legislation was key in updating the system of local exchange carriers for business in the 21st century.
Try: See more details on the Telecommunications Act of 1996 at the Museum of Broadcast Communications.

Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC)

The ILEC is the competitor of the CLEC. The Telecommunications act of 1996 differentiated between ILECs (those carriers in place before 1996) and CLECs (those begun after that time).
Try: See more on the history of ILECs at HowStuffWorks.

Federal Communications Commission, or FCC

FCC is the federal agency tasked with overseeing CLECs and ILECs, among many other sectors of the telecom and broadcasting media industries. The FCC continues to regulate how carriers offer tech and telecom services, as well as how broadcasters use their new media to reach out to the public.
Try: Get much more info on the FCC at WiseGeek.

Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP

VoIP takes an analog voice signal and digitizes for transmission over the Internet or other digital means. VoIP is a newer development in the telecom world, and many CLECs offer the service.
Try: Find out more about VoIP at Ars Technica.

One-way and two-way trunking

Trunking is the way in which telecommunications companies use the same line to service multiple clients, instead of giving each client an individual line. A one-way trunk is between two switching centers, but must have originated from its assigned end. A two-way trunk could be seized by incoming or outgoing communications traffic.
Try: Cisco has an in-depth explanation of trunking. Javvin defines one-way and two-way trunk.