Narrowband Personal Communications
Services (Narrowband PCS)
US:
A commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) that
encompasses mobile and ancillary fixed communications operating in the 900 MHz
frequency band that provide services to individuals and businesses and can be
integrated with a variety of competing networks. Narrowband PCS can be used to
provide services such as voice message paging, two-way knowledgment paging in
which a subscriber can receive a message and transmit a response back to the sender,
and other data services. (see 47 C.F.R. § 24.5) (see also Broadband
PCS)
National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
(NARUC)
National Exchange Carrier Association, Inc. (NECA)
US:
An organization established by the FCC in 1983 whose structure and principal functions
are specified by FCC rules and whose purpose is to administer certain universal
service programs, among other duties. In May 1997, the FCC decided that NECA,
subject to changes in its governance to assure industry-wide representation, should
serve as the temporary administrator of the universal service support mechanisms
established by the '96 Act. Historically, NECA has been comprised exclusively
of incumbent LECs. [see also Rural
Health Care Corporation; Schools And Libraries
Corporation; Universal Service Administrative
Company (USAC)]
National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST)
US:
An agency of the US Department of Commerce established by Congress 'to assist
industry in the development of technology needed to improve product quality, to
modernize manufacturing processes, to ensure product reliability and to facilitate
rapid commercialization of products based on new scientific discoveries.'
Its
staff of nearly 3,300 individuals carries out the agency's mission through four
major programs:
Measurement
and Standards Laboratories that develop measurement capabilities, standards, standard
samples and standardized procedures to help scientists and businesses conduct
research and build standardized products, with focus on electronics and electrical
engineering, manufacturing engineering, chemical science and technology, physics,
materials science and engineering, building and fire research, and information
technology.
An
Advanced Technology Program that provides cost-shared awards to industry for development
of high-risk, enabling technologies with broad economic potential;
A
grassroots Manufacturing Extension Partnership with a network of local centers
offering technical and business assistance to smaller manufacturers; and
An
outreach program associated with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program
that recognizes continuous improvements in quality management by US manufacturers
and service companies.
Network
Element
US:
The term `network element' as defined in the Telecommunications
Act of 1996, means a facility or equipment used in the provision of a telecommunications
service. The term also includes features, functions, and capabilities that are
provided by means of such a facility or equipment, including subscriber numbers,
databases, signaling systems, and information sufficient for billing and collection
or used in the transmission, routing, or other provision of a telecommunications
service. In
its Order implementing the '96 Act 's interconnection requirements, the FCC defined
the following specific Network elements: local loops, switching capability, interoffice
transmission facilities, databases and signaling systems, operation support systems,
and operator services and directory assistance.
[See also CI '96 Act References 0(3)(a)(45);
I(101)(251)(c)(3);
I(101)(251)(d)(2)]
Network
Interface Device
US: One of six unbundled
network elements (UNEs) that incumbent local
exchange carriers (ILECs) are required by FCC rules under the '96 Act
to provide individually, or in combination with other UNEs, to new entrants seeking
to provide competitive local telephone service. The network interface device connects
the local loop to inside wiring on the customer premises.
Network Reliability and Interoperability Council (NRIC)
US:
A committee composed of senior level officials from a cross-section of telecommunications
service provider and service user organizations organized under the provisions
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act to provide recommendations to the Federal
Communications Commission and to the telecommunications
industry to enhance the reliability of the nation's telecommunications networks.
Prior to April 1996, when it was rechartered by the FCC as NRIC, its name had
been the Network Reliability Council.
Non-Deniable
Charge
US:
A charge that will not result in the termination of a customer's local
exchange service for non-payment, even though the particular service for which
the charge has been levied, e.g., paging service, could be terminated. Conversely,
a 'deniable' charge is a charge that, if not paid, may result in the termination
-- 'denial' -- of the customer's local exchange service.
Non-Dominant Carrier
US:
A carrier that is found by the FCC to lack market
power (i.e., power to control prices) and thus unable to engage in conduct that
may be anticompetitive or otherwise inconsistent with the public interest. Non-dominant
regulation entails freedom from price regulation (under either price caps or rate-of-return
regulation), and allows a carrier to file tariffs on one day's notice, without
cost support, with a presumption of lawfulness. Non-dominant carriers also are
subject to streamlined procedures (under Section
214 of the Communications Act of 1934, as
amended) for the construction, extension or operation of new transmission facilities,
as well as for the proposed reduction or discontinuance of service. (see also
dominant carrier) Non-Initialized
Mobile Phone
US: A
wireless mobile telephone handset that is not registered for service with any
wireless operator. Because operators generally assign a dialable number to a handset
only when a customer enters into a service contract, a non-initialized phone lacks
a dialable number.
Non-local
Directory Services
US:
A service in which incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) offer directory assistance
to callers for telephone numbers from outside the region the ILEC serves.
When a customer dials the number for local directory assistance, the local
central office switch routes the call to an operator services
switch, adding a voice response unit (VRU) to the call. The VRU then delivers
a script to the caller requesting the city, state and listing desired, and records
the caller's responses. The operator receiving the call listens to the recorded
request from the VRU, and if the caller's response is not complete or is unintelligible,
the operator can speak with the caller to determine the desired listing, and launch
a database query to gather the information.
If the requested number is
local, the operator will launch a query to a database that contains local directory
listings. The caller, the operator, and the database may be located in different
geographic areas (i.e. in different Local Access and
Transport Areas, LATAs, the area designated as the ILEC's local service
area).
If the requested number is not local, it will be retrieved from
a database that contains either regional or nationwide listing. In this case as
well, the caller, the operator, and the database may be located in different LATAs.
(see also, Directory Assistance; Directory Services)
Non-Traffic
Sensitive Costs (NTS Costs)
US:
A term applying to the cost structure of the local telephone loop which connects
a customer premises to the local switching office. The cost of the loop
is fixed and does not vary according to the volume of traffic carried over it.
In the context of access charge rules, the NTS
costs allocated to the inter-state jurisdiction are currently recovered by
the local exchange carrier through a combination
of a flat monthly subscriber line charge (SLC)
assessed on end-customers, and a per-minute variable charge assessed on the inter-exchange
carrier (IXC), called the carrier
common line charge, or CCLC.
Nongeostationary
Fixed Satellite Service (NGO/FSS)
Satellite-based,
on-demand broadband service.
North American Numbering Council (NANC)
US:
A Federal Advisory
Committee created under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (1988) to advise the
FCC and to make recommendations, reached through consensus, that foster efficient
and impartial number administration. The membership of NANC, which includes thirty-two
voting members and four special non-voting members, was selected to represent
all segments of the telecommunications industry
as well as regulatory entities and consumer groups with interests in numbering
administration. The current NANC charter directs the Council to develop recommendations
on numbering policy issues and facilitate number conservation including identification
of technical solutions to numbering exhaust. North
American Numbering Plan (NANP)
US:
The basic numbering
scheme for the telecommunications
networks located in the United States (including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin
Islands, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) and in Anguilla,
Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands,
Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts & Nevis,
St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Turks & Caicos Islands, and Trinidad & Tobago.
Under the NANP, telephone
numbers consist of ten digits in the form NPA-NXX-XXXX, where N may be any number
from 2 to 9 and X may be any number from 0 to 9. Numbering plan areas (or NPAs)
are known commonly as area codes. The second three digits of a telephone
number are known as the NXX code. Typically, the NXX code identifies
the central office switch to which the telephone number had been assigned or central
office code (CO). The final XXXX identifies the individual subscriber connected
to that central office switch.
Notice
of Inquiry (NOI)
US:
A public notice issued by the Federal Communications Commission designed
primarily for gathering facts, generating ideas, and clarifying public opinion
about issues, often with little or no historical precedent, that the FCC believes
it must address to fulfill its legal responsibilities.
Notice of Proposed Rule making (NPRM)
US:
A formal proposal published by the Federal Communications Commission as
a means of soliciting public comment for proposed changes in telecommunications
regulations. In an NPRM, the FCC typically explains the background of the issues
under consideration, presents "tentative" conclusions on how it is inclined to
rule on some, and poses questions about others.
Number Portability
Europe:Operator
number portability is the possibility to transfer a telephone number from one
operator to the other. Operator number portability allows customers to retain
their telephone number when they decide to change operator and removes an important
barrier to competition.
COM(1999)539
The
possibility for a subscriber to keep his telephone number while changing a) operator,
b) type of service or c) location.
COM(97)203
US:The
ability of users of telecommunications services to retain, at the same location,
existing telecommunications numbers without impairment of quality, reliability,
or convenience when switching from one telecommunications
carrier to another. The FCC has distinguished two forms of number portability:
'Interim;' and 'Long-term.'
'Interim' number portability includes such
methods as Remote Call Forwarding
(RCF), which redirects calls to telephone numbers that have been transferred by
essentially placing a second telephone call to the new network location, and Direct Inward Dialing (DID), which routes the second call over
a dedicated facility to the new service provider's switch.
'Long-term'
number portability measures rely on databases containing the customer routing
information necessary to route telephone calls to the proper terminating locations
and depend on Intelligent Network (IN) or Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) capabilities.
Long-term number portability is provided through a location routing
number (LRN) architecture in which each customer's telephone number
is matched in one of seven regional databases (roughly corresponding to the original
Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC) service territories)
with an LRN that identifies the switch that currently serves that telephone number.
Neutral third parties, called local number portability administrators, administer
these regional databases. When a customer changes from one local exchange
carrier (LEC) to another, the carrier that wins the customer will 'port'
(transfer) the customer's number from the former carrier by electronically transmitting
(uploading) the new LRN to the administrator of the relevant regional database.
This will pair the customer's original telephone number with the LRN for the switch
of the new carrier, allowing the customer to retain the original telephone number.
The regional database administrators will electronically transmit (download) LRN
updates to carriers responsible for routing telephone calls. When a carrier routes
an telephone call to a location where number portability is available, the carrier
will first 'query' this downloaded data to determine the LRN for the switch that
serves the terminating telephone number of the call and route the call accordingly.
(See also CI '96 Act Reference 0(3)(a)(46); Location Portability, Number Transferability
and Service Portability)
Number Transferability