titure. Appendix B of the MFJ requires each RBOC must offer equal access through RBOC end offices (local exchanges) in a LATA to all interexchange carriers (IXCs, such as Sprint, MCI, and many others). All carriers must be provided services that are equal in type, quality, and price to those provided by AT&T. We define a LEC (local exchange carrier) as a company that provides intraLATA telecommunication within a franchised territory. A LATA defines those areas within which a LEC may offer telecommunication services. Many independent LECs are associated with RBOCs in LATAs and provide exchange access individually or jointly with a RBOC. 1.6.1 Points of Presence A point of presence (POP) is a location within a LATA that has been designated by an access customer for the connection of its facilities with those of a LEC. Typically, a POP is a location that houses an access customer's switching system or facility node. Consider an "access customer" as an interexchange carrier, such as Sprint or AT&T. At each POP, the access customer is required to designate a physical point of termina- tion (POT) consistent with technical and operational characteristics specified by the LEC. The POT provides a clear demarcation between the LEC's exchange access functions and the access customer's interexchange functions. The POT generally is a distribution frame or other item of equipment (a cross-connect) at which the LEC's access facilities REVIEW EXERCISES terminate and where cross-connection, testing, and service verification can occur. A later federal court judgment (1992) required a LEC to provide space for equipment for CAPs (competitive access providers). REVIEW EXERCISES 1. Define telecommunications. 2. Identify end-users. What is/are the function(s) of a node? Define a connectivity. What are the three phases of a telephone call? 6. Describe on-hook and off-hook. 7. What is the function of the subscriber loop? 8. What is the function of the battery? Describe address signaling and its purpose. Differentiate trunks from subscrib