Glossary of Long Distance Service Related Terms

Baby Bells

One of the 19 companies carved out of the AT&T monopoly by the 1983 Consent Decree to provide local phone service or IntraLATA services.

Ballot

A release form that authorizes a customer's long-distance phone service to be switched to (another) long-distance carrier, or reseller. Also know as a Letter Of Agency or LOA.

Basic Local Exchange Service

Local telephone service for residential or business use. This service includes primary directory listings, tone dialing service, access to operator services, access to directory assistance services, access to 911 emergency service, the ability to report service problems seven days a week and Lifeline and TelAssistance services.

Billing Address

This is the address where your long distance phone bill will be sent. It can either be same or different from your actual service address.

Billing Increment

The time increment used to determine the length of a call. Providers may charge per minute or per 6-seconds or some other time increment.

Blanket Agency Agreement

Eliminates the need to submit individual Letters Of Agency for each site location. A PSP submits the Blanket Agency Agreement once, and it is kept on file by Verizon to allow subsequent applications to be processed upon receipt of a new application by the PSP.

BOC - Bell Operating Company(Baby Bell)

One of the 19 companies carved out of the AT&T monopoly by the 1983 Consent Decree to provide local phone service or IntraLATA services.

Broadband

A term describing newly developed digital telecom services and their capacities. Broadband allows consumers integrated access to voice, high-speed data services, video-demand services, and interactive information delivery services.

BTN - Billing Telephone Number

The phone number associated, for billing purposes, with the Working Phone Number.

Bundling

A marketing strategy that combines a variety of telephone and related services on a single bill, often at a discount over individually purchased services.

Bypass

Occurs when CLECs use their own loop and port facilities to provide local services to end users within a Verizon serving area.