distribution protocol. EDI (electronic data interchange) The asynchronous exchange from computer to com- puter of intercompany business documents (e.g., purchase orders, bills of lading, invoices) and information. EDI can be accomplished through OSI standards or through proprietary products. EDTV (enhanced-definition TV) Video with picture quality beyond what can be broadcast in NTSC or PAL but not sharp enough to be considered HDTV. EFM (Ethernet First Mile) IEEE 802.3ah, a standard that uses Ethernet to provide connec- tivity from the customer to the carrier. EGP (Exterior Gateway Protocol) A routing protocol used to exchange network reach- ability information among organizational networks. EGP indicates whether a network is reach- able; it does not weight that decision. EGP has largely been replaced by BGP4. EIA (Electronic Industries Association) A U.S. organization that develops standards in the areas of electrical and electronic products and components. EIA interface A standardized set of signal characteristics (i.e., time duration, voltage, and current) specified by the EIA. EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol) A Cisco proprietary routing protocol based on IGRP. EIGRP has optimizations to minimize the routing instability incurred after topology changes and the use of bandwidth and processing power in the router. EIR (excess information rate) The maximum amount of uncommitted data (in bits) in excess of committed burst size that a Frame Relay network can attempt to deliver. elastic application A traditional Internet application that can work without guarantees of timely delivery. Because it can stretch in the face of greater delay, it can still perform adequately when the network faces increased congestion and degradation in performance. ELEC (Ethernet local exchange carrier) A competitive provider that specializes viding Ethernet solutions in the local loop and metro area. electromagnetic spectrum The electromagnetic waves that can propagate through free space and are created when electrons m