round for years (Verizon or Bell South, for example). Since there is now competition, this company is some- times called the ILEC (Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier) to distinguish it from the others. This company may have been part of the Bell System at one time or may be an Independent Tele- phone Company, depending upon where you are located. The competitors are called CLECs (pronounced "see-lex") (Competi- tive Local Exchange Carriers) or BLECs (Building Local Exchange Carriers). A BLEC is a variation on the CLEC that tries to corner the local telephone service market in certain office buildings where it has installed cabling and electronic equipment. 274 is The Telecom Handbook CHAPTER 13 In some cases the CLEC is one of the companies historically recognized as a long distance company, such as AT&T. Most of the Long Distance Companies now compete with the Local Tele- phone Companies selling Local Telephone Lines and Calls in some geographic areas. Most of the Long Distance companies got into the business of selling local telephone lines and calls by purchasing a CLEC. There are often a number of CLECs that compete with the ILEC in certain geographic areas, mainly large cities where the opportunity is the greatest. Some CLECs have run their own cabling into certain office buildings, but it is more common for them to rent the cabling that is already in place which is owned by the ILEC with whom they are competing. These local telephone companies may also sell local tele- phone calls which are seldom detailed on your monthly bill, but instead billed as message units which have an associated cost. The calls are billed according to how far away you are calling and how long you speak. In some areas of the country, you may make an unlimited number of local calls for a fixed monthly cost known as a flat rate. Detailed descriptions of how local calls are billed by the ILEC in your area can be found in the front of the White Pages telephone directory they publish. CLECs tend to price local calls differently than the IL