86-1602.

Terms, defined.

For purposes of the Telecommunications Exchange Deregulation Act:

(1) Carrier of last resort means a facilities-based telecommunications company, as determined by the commission, not inconsistent with the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, which receives or has received high-cost support from the federal Universal Service Fund or the Nebraska Telecommunications Universal Service Fund and has the obligation to provide voice communications service, upon reasonable request, to all residential and single-line business customers within a defined service or geographic area;

(2) Commission means the Public Service Commission;

(3) Deregulated carrier means an electing local exchange carrier for which all of such carrier's markets have been deregulated;

(4) Electing local exchange carrier means a telecommunications company holding a certificate to offer local exchange telecommunications services within Nebraska issued on or before February 8, 1996, or a carrier that has received a certificate in conjunction with the acquisition of a certificate issued on or before February 8, 1996;

(5) Transitioning carrier means an electing local exchange carrier for which at least one, but not all, of such carrier's exchanges has been deregulated; and

(6) Voice communications service means (a) the transmission, conveyance, or routing of real-time, two-way voice communications to a point or between or among points by or through any electronic, radio, satellite, cable, optical, microwave, wireline, wireless, or other medium or method, regardless of the protocol used, (b) the ability to receive and terminate voice calls to and from the public switched telephone network, or (c) voice over Internet protocol service as defined in section 86-121.01.