se as given at the website. The Byzantine World of Telecom Regulation Chapter 4 The unbundled elements included everything from the interface between the customer's inside wire and the outside plant to the switch- ing and multiplexing elements located within the CO and embedded throughout the outside plant facilities. The elements are as follows: Network Interface Device (NID): Physical interface between the local service provider and the customer's inside wiring Loop Distribution: Facilities that connect NID to feeder distribution interface Loop Feeder: Facilities that connect loop distribution to the local switch Local Switch: Switch that initiates and terminates local calls Tandem Switch: Switch that interfaces between local, long- distance networks Common Transport: Transmission facilities used by multiple carriers Dedicated Transport: Facilities used exclusively by a single carrier Service Control Point: Database used to provision Caller ID-based enhanced and supplementary services Signaling Transfer Point: Packet switch for signaling communication Signaling Link Transport: Facilities between signaling points Concentrator/Multiplexer: All forms of carrier systems Operator Systems and Operations Support Systems: Operator services, directory assistance, and element and network management systems for maintaining the health and welfare of the network Recent Regulatory Decisions In the early months of 2003, the FCC dramatically rewrote the basics of telecom regulation. Following the 2003 Triennial Review that concluded in February of that year, the FCC released a series of high-impact deci- sions that pleased everyone-and no one. In an effort to resolve the question of which UNEs the ILECs had to make available to their competitors, the FCC essentially turned the issue over to the states for local resolution. They also ruled that ILECs no Downloaded from Digital Engineering Library @ McGraw-Hill (www.digitalengineeringlibrary.com) Copyright © 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved. Any use is subject