47 U.S.C. § 1001 : US Code - Section 1001: Definitions

Search 47 U.S.C. § 1001 : US Code - Section 1001: Definitions

For purposes of this subchapter -
(1) The terms defined in section 2510 of title 18 have,
respectively, the meanings stated in that section.
(2) The term "call-identifying information" means dialing or
signaling information that identifies the origin, direction,
destination, or termination of each communication generated or
received by a subscriber by means of any equipment, facility, or
service of a telecommunications carrier.
(3) The term "Commission" means the Federal Communications
Commission.
(4) The term "electronic messaging services" means software-
based services that enable the sharing of data, images, sound,
writing, or other information among computing devices controlled
by the senders or recipients of the messages.
(5) The term "government" means the government of the United
States and any agency or instrumentality thereof, the District of
Columbia, any commonwealth, territory, or possession of the
United States, and any State or political subdivision thereof
authorized by law to conduct electronic surveillance.
(6) The term "information services" -
(A) means the offering of a capability for generating,
acquiring, storing, transforming, processing, retrieving,
utilizing, or making available information via
telecommunications; and
(B) includes -
(i) a service that permits a customer to retrieve stored
information from, or file information for storage in,
information storage facilities;
(ii) electronic publishing; and
(iii) electronic messaging services; but
(C) does not include any capability for a telecommunications
carrier's internal management, control, or operation of its
telecommunications network.
(7) The term "telecommunications support services" means a
product, software, or service used by a telecommunications
carrier for the internal signaling or switching functions of its
telecommunications network.
(8) The term "telecommunications carrier" -
(A) means a person or entity engaged in the transmission or
switching of wire or electronic communications as a common
carrier for hire; and
(B) includes -
(i) a person or entity engaged in providing commercial
mobile service (as defined in section 332(d) of this title);
or
(ii) a person or entity engaged in providing wire or
electronic communication switching or transmission service to
the extent that the Commission finds that such service is a
replacement for a substantial portion of the local telephone
exchange service and that it is in the public interest to
deem such a person or entity to be a telecommunications
carrier for purposes of this subchapter; but
(C) does not include -
(i) persons or entities insofar as they are engaged in
providing information services; and
(ii) any class or category of telecommunications carriers
that the Commission exempts by rule after consultation with
the Attorney General.