AS) provider is another term used to define such providers. LEC-In the local environment we use the acronym LEC for local exchange carrier. There was originally no competition among LECs, but as soon as competition in the local loop picked up, LECs were segmented into ILECs, CLECs, and DCLECs. ILEC-The ILEC is the incumbent local exchange carrier, the original com- mon carrier that either once had or, in some countries, still has monopoly rights in the local loop. For most residents in the United States, this would be one of the three "baby Bells"-Qwest Communications International, AT&T, and Verizon Communications. CLEC-The CLEC is the competitive local exchange carrier. CLECs came about as a result of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which opened up competition in the local loop. The CLEC is the competitor to the ILEC. Although the decline of the telecommunications economy in 2000 and 2001 forced several CLECs out of business, or made some ripe for acquisi- tion by ILECs, there are still some CLECs in the United States, and they currently focus on delivering dial tone to business customers. DCLEC (or DLEC)-DCLEC stands for data competitive local exchange carrier. A DCLEC is a company specifically focused on supporting data Chapter 4 The PSTN services (e.g., providers that offer DSL services to end users). Most of these providers have ceased operating. ELEC-ELEC stands for Ethernet local exchange carrier. The ELEC special- izes in providing Ethernet solutions in the local loop and metro area. IXC-The interexchange carrier is the carrier for long-distance and interna- tional communications. AT&T Corporation, MCI (now part of Verizon), Sprint, Qwest, and Verizon are the primary IXCs in the United States. Unless certain stringent requirements imposed by the Federal Communica- tions Commission are met, an IXC cannot offer long-distance services in the areas where it is also the ILEC. SP-Because SO many lines are being blurred today by bundled services and bundled territories of operation, the basic term service p