Billing Increments:  The length of your call which relates to what your per minute rate is, be it based on one minute billing increments, 6 second increments, etc.  If you have one minute billing increments, a 12 second call will be rounded up to the full minute. 

Billing Telephone Number (BTN):  Your main billing phone number.

Carrier Identification Code (CIC):  A long distance company's one-of-a-kind code, mainly used so the local phone provider knows who your long distance carrier is.  Also known as a PIC Code.

Centrex (Central Office Exchange Service): A type of PBX where the switching happens at the local phone provider instead of at the location of the customer.

CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier): A phone company that competes with an (ILEC) Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier, yet a CLEC can use the infrastructure of an ILEC.

Cramming:  Cramming happens when a company places charges or services on your phone bill that you did not order or authorize.

Dial Around Number (Casual Access, 10-10-xxx, 10-15-xxx, Etc): A number used to purposely bypass your local or long distance phone company. Using a dial around number does not switch your service and can be used even if you have no primary long distance carrier. In most cases, you will get the best phone rate and the best international calling rate by using a dial around number (other than possibly using a pre-paid phone card). 

Direct Dialing: When a customer is pre-subscribed with a long distance company and makes a call using 1+ the area code (or country code) + the telephone number, without operator assistance or using a dial around number.

Domestic Call: Any call that originates (starts) and terminates (ends) within the United States.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC):  Handles state-to-state communications services, problems, etc.

Fiber Optics: Technology based on thin filaments of glass or other transparent materials used as a method for transmitting coded light pulses that represent data, images, or sound.

Interexchange Carrier (IEC):  The carrier that provides long distance service between the Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) and the Local Access Transport Area (LATA). 

International Calls: Calls that originate in one country and terminate in another country.

Interstate Calls: (State-to-State) Calls that originate in one state and terminate in another state.

Intrastate Calls: (In-State) Calls that originate and terminate within the same state. 

LEC Billing: When a customer receives their invoice directly from their Local Exchange Carrier (LEC).

Letter of Agency (LOA):  A form that the customer signs that gives permission for a switch of the customers long distance service.

Local Exchange Carrier (LEC):  Your local phone service provider.

Long Distance Usage (LDU): The amount of long distance an end user uses.

Minimum Minute Charge:  Some calling plans will have, for example, a 10 minute minimum call length.  This means that even if you talk under 10 minutes you will still be billed for a 10 minute call.

Minimum Monthly Charge:  Some calling plans (usually related to commercial plans) will have a minimum monthly charge.  This means that if your plan has a $50.00 monthly minimum, your monthly bill will always be at least $50.00 even if you have a month where you spend only $35.00 for that month.

Minimum Usage Charge:  If you see a calling plan where you would pay a small fee if your monthly long distance usage is under a certain amount, this is a minimum usage charge.  A minimum usage charge differs from a monthly fee.

Monthly Fee:  Some calling plans will have a monthly fee (for example, $3.95) and this fee will be charged to the customer no matter how many calls the customer makes in a month and no matter how much the customers monthly bill is.  A calling plan with a monthly fee is a bad choice for any consumer that spends just a few dollars a month on long distance.

Order Verification Procedure: (Also called Third Party Verification) One of the things that long distance carriers will do to cut down on fraud is ask you to verify the order you placed when you requested long distance service.  Some carriers might require an actual signature from you, but others will allow you to sign up online or over the phone, then you must follow their procedure to verify that you want their long distance service.  The procedure varies between carriers, but usually you will either have to call a toll free number to verify, send an email to verify, or in some cases the carrier will contact you to verify your order.  If you are asked to call a toll free number to verify, you must call from the same phone number that you are requesting long distance service on.

Payphone Surcharge:  This is a Federally mandated fee that a long distance company must pay to the payphone company when a call is made using a calling card or when a call is made to a toll free number.  This fee varies between carriers but is usually 35 or 40 cents.

PBX (Private Branch Exchange): A private network used within a business where users share outside lines. It's less expensive than each phone having to use a separate external line.

PICC: See Presubscribed Interexchange Carrier Charge.

PIC Code: (See CIC listed above)

PIC Fee:  A charge that the Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) will charge you to switch your long distance.  Most long distance companies will credit the customer for the PIC fee (normally $5.00).

PIC Freeze:  The customer can call their local phone provider and request that a PIC Freeze be put on their phone line.  This PIC Freeze prevents a long distance carrier from switching your long distance without your permission (See Slamming).  If you have a PIC Freeze on your line, you will have to call your local phone provider and request that the PIC Freeze be removed before you can switch your long distance.

Presubscribed Interexchange Carrier Charge (PICC):  This is a Federally mandated charge that every long distance carrier must pay to the local phone company on any business that has 2 or more business lines.  You should never pay a PICC on a residential line, no matter how many lines you have.  The PICC varies between long distance carriers.

Pre-subscription: A process where a customer selects a long distance phone company and it is that company they use when they dial 1+.  The long distance company will now be your Primary Interexhange Carrier.

Slamming: Slamming is the unauthorized conversion of a customer's long distance phone service from their current carrier to a new long distance carrier. Slamming is illegal under Federal Law and can carry criminal penalties. To make sure you are never slammed, you can request a PIC Freeze. A PIC Freeze is a customers request not to allow a change in their long distance service without the customers permission. ( NOTE: To find out more about slamming or if you believe you have been slammed, visit the FCC website here 

T-1: A dedicated line which has 24 channels that can carry both voice and data transmission. Each channel supports 64Kbits per second. If a business needs a dedicated line but only needs to lease, for example, 15 lines, this is called a Fractional T1.

Toll Call: Any call, subject to charge, to a destination outside of the local service area of the calling station. Also referred to as a long distance call.

Universal Service Fund (USF): A charge on certain long distance services to offset a company's mandatory payment into the Federal Universal Service Fund. This fund is maintained for the purpose of subsidizing rural, low income, and health and education telecommunications customers. The USF is set every three months by the FCC and applies only to state-to-state and international phone calls.