ACCESS CHARGE
A fee charged subscribers or other telephone companies by a local exchange carrier,
(LEC) for the use of its local exchange networks (LEN).

ADSL, SDSL (See Digital Subscriber Line below).

ANALOG SIGNAL
A signaling method that uses continuous changes in the amplitude or frequency of a radio transmission to convey information.

BANDWIDTH
The capacity of a telecom line to carry signals. The necessary bandwidth is the amount of spectrum required to transmit the signal without distortion or loss of information. FCC rules require suppression of the signal outside the band to prevent interference.

BROADBAND
Broadband is a descriptive term for evolving digital technologies that provide consumers a signal switched facility offering integrated access to voice, high-speed data service, video-demand services, and interactive delivery services.

CALLING PARTY PAYS
A billing method in which a wireless phone caller pays only for making calls and not for receiving them. The standard American billing system requires wireless phone customers to pay for all calls made and received on a wireless phone.

CAMPUS AREA NETWORK (CANs) The computers are within a limited geographic area, such as a campus or military base.

CAMPUS-WIDE INFORMATION SYSTEM (CWIS) Publicly available computer systems provided in kiosks on university campuses where users can access directories, databases, bulletin boards, calendars, and other information services.

CDMA (CODE DIVISION MULTIPLE ACCESS) One of several digital wireless transmission methods in which signals are encoded using a pseudo-random sequence - which corresponds to a different communication channel - that the receiver also knows and can use to decode the received signal. CDMA is one of several "spread spectrum" techniques. CDMA offers improvements over analogue transmission in the areas of reduced call dropping, battery power conservation, more secure transmission and increased service options.
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CELLULAR TECHNOLOGY
This term, often used for all wireless phones regardless of the technology they use, derives from cellular base stations that receive and transmit calls. Both cellular and PCS phones use cellular technology.

CLEC Pronounced see-lek. Short for competitive local exchange carrier, a telephone company that competes with an incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) such as a Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC), GTE, ALLNET, etc.

CLOSED CAPTIONING
A service for persons with hearing disabilities that translates television program dialog into written words on the television screen.

COMMERCIAL LEASED ACCESS
Manner through which independent video producers can access cable capacity for a fee.

COMMON CARRIER
In the telecommunications arena, the term used to describe a telephone company.

COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT
A person who facilitates telephone conversation between text telephone users, users of sign language or individuals with speech disabilities through a Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS). This service allows a person with hearing or speech disabilities to communicate with anyone else via telephone at no additional cost.

COMMUNITY ANTENNA TELEVISION (CATV)
A service through which subscribers pay to have local television stations and additional programs brought into their homes from an antenna via a coaxial cable.

CRAMMING
A practice in which customers are billed for enhanced features such as voice mail, caller-ID and call waiting that they have not ordered.

DIAL AROUND
Long distance services that require consumers to dial a long-distance provider’s access code (or "10-10" number) before dialing a long-distance number to bypass or "dial around" the consumer’s chosen long-distance carrier in order to get a better rate.

DIGITAL TELEVISION (DTV)
A new technology for transmitting and receiving broadcast television signals. DTV provides clearer resolution and improved sound quality.

DRM (Digital Rights Management) A system for protecting the copyrights of data circulated via the Internet or other digital media by enabling secure distribution and/or disabling illegal distribution of the data. Typically, a DRM system protects intellectual property by either encrypting the data so that it can only be accessed by authorized users or marking the content with a digital watermark or similar method so that the content can not be freely distributed.

Also see SSL: Your Key to E-commerce Security in Webopedia's "Did You Know...?" section.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) Xdsl refers collectively to all types of digital subscriber lines, the two main categories being ADSL and SDSL. Two other types of xDSL technologies are High-data-rate DSL (HDSL) and Symmetric DSL (SDSL). DSL technologies use sophisticated modulation schemes to pack data onto copper wires. They are sometimes referred to as last-mile technologies because they are used only for connections from a telephone switching station to a home or office, not between switching stations. xDSL is similar to ISDN inasmuch as both operate over existing copper telephone lines (POTS) and both require the short runs to a central telephone office (usually less than 20,000 feet).

DIRECT BROADCAST SATELLITE (DBS/DISH)
A high-powered satellite that transmits or retransmits signals, which are intended for direct reception by the public. The signal is transmitted to a small earth station or dish (usually the size of an 18-inch pizza pan) mounted on homes or other buildings.

E-MAIL
Also called electronic mail, refers to messages sent over the Internet. E-mail can be sent and received via newer types of wireless phones, but you generally need to have a specific e-mail account.

ENHANCED SERVICE PROVIDERS
A for-profit business that offers to transmit voice and data messages and simultaneously adds value to the messages it transmits. Examples include telephone answering services, alarm/security companies and transaction processing companies.

EN BANC
An informal meeting held by the Commission to hear presentations on specific topics by diverse parties. The Commissioners, or other officials, question presenters and use their comments in considering FCC rules and policies on the subject matter under consideration.

FREQUENCY MODULATION (FM)
A signaling method that varies the carrier frequency in proportion to the amplitude of the modulating signal.

FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) -- A standard for transmitting data on optical fiber cables at a rate of around 100,000,000 bits-per-second (10 times as fast as Ethernet, about twice as fast as T-3).

FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL (FTP) Was the standard means for transfer of files on the Internet before the advent of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and the World Wide Web. Although many of its functions have been taken over by the HTTP protocol, FTP is still used extensively for file transfer on the Internet.

GATEWAY In networking, a combination of hardware and software that links two different types of networks. Gateways between e-mail systems, for example, allow users on different e-mail systems to exchange messages.

GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS)
A US satellite system that lets those on the ground, on the water or in the air determine their position with extreme accuracy using GPS receivers.

HIGH DEFINITION TELEVISION (HDTV)
An improved television system, which provides approximately twice the vertical and horizontal resolution of existing television standards. It also provides audio quality approaching that of compact discs.

HYPER TEXT MARKUP LANGUAGE (HTML) The authoring language used to create documents on the World Wide Web. HTML is similar to SGML, although it is not a strict subset.

HYPER TEXT TRANSFER PROTOCOL (HTTP) The underlying protocol used by the World Wide Web. HTTP defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers should take in response to various commands. For example, when you enter a URL in your browser, this actually sends an HTTP command to the Web server directing it to fetch and transmit the requested Web page.

INSTRUCTIONAL TELEVISION FIXED SERVICE (ITFS)
A service provided by one or more fixed microwave stations operated by an educational organization and used to transmit instructional information to fixed locations.

INTEGRATED SERVICES DIGITAL NETWORK (ISDN) An international communications standard for sending voice, video, and data over digital telephone lines or normal telephone wires. ISDN supports data transfer rates of 64 Kbps (64,000 bits per second). Most ISDN lines offered by telephone companies give you two lines at once, called B channels. You can use one line for voice and the other for data, or you can use both lines for data to give you data rates of 128 Kbps, three times the data rate provided by today's fastest modems.

INTERACTIVE VIDEO DATA SERVICE (IVDS)
A communication system, operating over a short distance, which allows nearly instantaneous two-way responses by using a hand-held device at a fixed location. Viewer participation in game shows, distance learning and e-mail on computer networks are examples.

INTERNET A global network connecting millions of computers. More than 100 countries are linked into exchanges of data, news and opinions. Unlike online services, which are centrally controlled, the Internet is decentralized by design. Each Internet computer, called a host, is independent. Its operators can choose which Internet services to use and which local services to make available to the global Internet community. Remarkably, this anarchy by design works exceedingly well.

INTERNET ADDRESSES The Internet is a vast network of many different computers that are able to talk to each other in spite of the fact that large distances may separate them, many different manufacturers build very different computers…

INTERNET CONTROL MESSAGE PROTOCOL (ICMP) An extension to the Internet Protocol (IP) defined by RFC 792. ICMP supports packets containing error, control, and informational messages. The PING command, for example, uses ICMP to test an Internet connection.

INTERNET PROTOCOL (IP) pronounced as two separate letters. IP specifies the format of packets, also called data grams, and the addressing scheme. Most networks combine IP with a higher-level protocol called Transport Control Protocol (TCP), which establishes a virtual connection between a destination and a source.

IP Equals Internet Protocol

INTERNET PROTOCOL TELEPHONY A category of hardware and software that enables people to use the Internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls. For users who have free, or fixed-price Internet access, Internet telephony software essentially provides free telephone calls anywhere in the world.

INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER (ISP) A company that provides access to the Internet. For a monthly fee, the service provider gives you a software package, username, password and access phone number. Equipped with a modem, you can then log on to the Internet and browse the World Wide Web and USENET, and send and receive e-mail.

JAVA A high-level programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. Java was originally called OAK, and was designed for handheld devices and set-top boxes. Oak was unsuccessful so in 1995 Sun changed the name to Java and modified the language to take advantage of the burgeoning World Wide Web.

LANDLINE
Traditional wired phone service.

LAND MOBILE SERVICE
A public or private radio service providing two-way communication, paging and radio signaling on land.

LATENCY In networking, the amount of time it takes a packet to travel from source to destination. Together, latency and bandwidth define the speed and capacity of a network. DSL and cable modems are fast, much faster than dialup modems, if you haven't used a DSL line before, then they are faster than you've imagined them to be. But, are they as fast as the ISP or Telco is telling you they are? See http://www.dslreports.com/speed

LEASED LINE (LL) A communications line leased from a public utility common carrier for exclusive use. T1 and T3 are often used as leased lines. Synonyms: private line and full period line.

LOW POWER FM RADIO (LPFM)
A broadcast service that permits the licensing of 50-100 watt FM radio stations within a service radius of up to 3.5 miles and 1-10 watt FM radio stations within a service radius of 1 to 2 miles.

LOW POWER TELEVISION (LPTV)
A broadcast service that permits program origination, subscription service or both via low powered television translators. LPTV service includes the existing translator service and operates on a secondary basis to regular television stations. Transmitter output is limited to 1,000 watts for normal VHF stations and 100 watts when a VHF operation is on an allocated channel.

MEDIA ACCESS CONTROL (MAC) 1) The lower sub layer of the data link layer in the open system interconnection (OSI) model. MAC is responsible for scheduling, gaining access, and transmitting and receiving data on the network media. 2) A generic term for the way in which workstations gain access to transmission media. The term is most widely used in reference to local area networks (LAN)s. Synonym: media access controller.

MODEM Acronym for modulator-demodulator. A modem is a device or program that enables a computer to transmit data over telephone lines. Computer information is stored digitally, whereas information transmitted over telephone lines is transmitted in the form of analog waves. A modem converts between these two forms.

Fortunately, there is one standard interface for connecting external modems to computers called RS-232. Consequently, any external modem can be attached to any computer that has an RS-232 port, which almost all personal computers have. There are also modems that come as an expansion board that you can insert into a vacant expansion slot. These are sometimes called onboard or internal modems.

MUST-CARRY (Retransmission)
A 1992 Cable Act term requiring a cable system to carry signals of both commercial and noncommercial television broadcast stations that are "local" to the area served by the cable system.

NETWORK
Any connection of two or more computers that enables them to communicate. Networks may include transmission devices, servers, cables, routers and satellites. The phone network is the total infrastructure for transmitting phone messages. Topology Protocol Architecture

NUMBER PORTABILITY
A term used to describe the capability of individuals, businesses and organizations to retain their existing telephone number(s) –– and the same quality of service –– when switching to a new local service provider.

OPEN VIDEO SYSTEMS
An alternative method to provide cable-like video service to subscribers.

OPERATOR SERVICE PROVIDER (OSP)
A common carrier that provides services from public phones, including payphones and those in hotels/motels.

OPEN SYSTEM INTERCONNECTION (OSI) MODEL an ISO standard for worldwide communications that defines a networking framework for implementing protocols in seven layers. Control is passed from one layer to the next, starting at the application layer in one station, proceeding to the bottom layer, over the channel to the next station and back up the hierarchy.

PACKET INTERNET GROPER (PING) 1) A program useful in testing and debugging local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN) systems. It sends out an echo and expects a specified host to respond in a specified time frame. 2) A transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) utility that sends packets of information to a computer on a network. A PING can be used to determine whether a computer is connected to the Internet.

PAGING SYSTEM
A one-way mobile radio service where a user carries a small, lightweight miniature radio receiver capable of responding to coded signals. These devices, called "pagers," emit an audible signal, vibrate or do both when activated by an incoming message.

PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE (PCS)
Any of several types of wireless, voice and/or data communications systems, typically incorporating digital technology. PCS licenses are most often used to provide services similar to advanced cellular mobile or paging services. However, PCS can also be used to provide other wireless communications services, including services that allow people to place and receive communications while away from their home or office, as well as wireless communications to homes, office buildings and other fixed locations.

PRESCRIBED INTEREXCHANGE CHARGE (PICC)
The charge the local exchange company assesses the long distance company when a consumer picks it as his or her long distance carrier.

ROAMING
The use of a wireless phone outside of the "home" service area defined by a service provider. Higher per-minute rates are usually charged for calls made or received while roaming. Long distance rates and a daily access fee may also apply.

ROUTER A device that connects any number of LANs. Routers use headers and a forwarding table to determine where packets go, and they use ICMP to communicate with each other and configure the best route between any two hosts. Very little filtering of data is done through routers. Routers do not care about the type of data they handle.

SATELLITE
A radio relay station that orbits the earth. A complete satellite communications system also includes earth stations that communicate with each other via the satellite. The satellite receives a signal transmitted by an originating earth station and retransmits that signal to the destination earth station(s). Satellites are used to transmit telephone, television and data signals originated by common carriers, broadcasters and distributors of cable TV program material.

SATELLITE HOME VIEWER IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 1999 (SHVIA)
An Act modifying the Satellite Home Viewer Act of 1988, SHVIA permits satellite companies to provide local broadcast TV signals to all subscribers who reside in the local TV station’s market. SHVIA also permits satellite companies to provide "distant" network broadcast stations to eligible satellite subscribers.

SATELLITE MASTER ANTENNA TELEVISION (SMATV)
A satellite dish system used to deliver signals to multiple dwelling units (e.g., apartment buildings and trailer parks).

SCANNER
A radio receiver that moves across a wide range of radio frequencies and allows audiences to listen to any of the frequencies.

SERVER A computer or device on a network that manages network resources. For example, a file server is a computer and storage device dedicated to storing files. Any user on the network can store files on the server. A print server is a computer that manages one or more printers, and a network server is a computer that manages network traffic. A database server is a computer system that processes database queries.

SERVICE PLAN
The rate plan you select when choosing a wireless phone service. A service plan typically consists of a monthly base rate for access to the system and a fixed amount of minutes per month.

SERVICE PROVIDER
A telecommunications provider that owns circuit-switching equipment.

SLAMMING
The term used to describe what occurs when a customer’s long distance service is switched from one long distance company to another without the customer’s permission. Such unauthorized switching violates FCC rules.

SPECTRUM
The range of electromagnetic radio frequencies used in the transmission of sound, data and television.

SUBSCRIBER LINE CHARGE (SLC)
A monthly fee paid by telephone subscribers that is used to compensate the local telephone company for part of the cost of installation and maintenance of the telephone wire, poles and other facilities that link your home to the telephone network. These wires, poles and other facilities are referred to as the "local loop." The SLC is one component of access charges.

TARIFF
The documents filed by a carrier describing their services and the payments to be charged for such services.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS RELAY SERVICE (TRS)
A free service that enables persons with TTYs, individuals who use sign language and people who have speech disabilities to use telephone services by having a third party transmit and translate the call.

TELEPHONY
The word used to describe the science of transmitting voice over a telecommunications network.

TELNET The telnet protocol is an old one, but it is still used extensively. The most common usage of telnet is to allow you to log into a distant computer on which you have an account and to perform remotely functions such as editing and processing of email.

TRANSMISSION CONTROL PROTOCOL/INTERNET PROTOCOL (TCP/IP) the suite of communications protocols used to connect hosts on the Internet. TCP/IP uses several protocols, the two main ones being TCP and IP. TCP/IP is built into the UNIX operating system and is used by the Internet, making it the de facto standard for transmitting data over networks. Even network operating systems that have their own protocols, such as Netware, also support TCP/IP.

TTY
A type of machine that allows people with hearing or speech disabilities to communicate over the phone using a keyboard and a viewing screen. It is sometimes called a TDD.

UNBUNDLING
The term used to describe the access provided by local exchange carriers so that other service providers can buy or lease portions of its network elements, such as interconnection loops, to serve subscribers.

UNIVERSAL SERVICE
The financial mechanism, which helps compensate telephone companies or other communications entities for providing access to telecommunications services at reasonable and affordable rates throughout the country, including rural, insular and high costs areas, and to public institutions. Companies, not consumers, are required by law to contribute to this fund. The law does not prohibit companies from passing this charge on to customers.

VERY HIGH FREQUENCY (VHF)
The part of the radio spectrum from 30 to 300 megahertz, which includes TV Channels 2-13, the FM broadcast band and some marine, aviation and land mobile services.

VIDEO DESCRIPTION
An audio narration for television viewers who are blind or visually disabled, which consists of verbal descriptions of key visual elements in a television program, such as settings and actions not reflected in dialog. Narrations are inserted into the program’s natural pauses, and are typically provided through the Secondary Audio Programming channel.