As used in the New Mexico Telecommunications Act:

A. “affordable rates” means local exchange service rates that promote universal service within a local exchange area, giving consideration to the economic conditions and costs to provide service in such area;

B. “alternate provider” means a person that provides voice services, regardless of the technology used. Such providers are not limited to telecommunications companies and include cellular service companies, satellite companies and companies that provide service using an interconnected voice-over-internet protocol;

C. “cable television service” means the one-way transmission to subscribers of video programming or other programming service and subscriber interaction, if any, that is required for the selection of such video programming or other programming service;

D. “commission” means the public regulation commission;

E. “competitive telecommunications service” means a service that has been determined to be subject to effective competition pursuant to Section 63-9A-8 N.M. Stat. Ann.;

F. “competitive telecommunications service provider” includes competitive carriers holding certificates of public convenience and necessity issued by the commission pursuant to laws and regulations, including, without limitation, Section 63-9A-6 N.M. Stat. Ann.;

G. “effective competition” means the competition that results from the customers of the service having reasonably available and comparable alternatives to the service, consistent with the standards set forth in Section 63-9A-8 N.M. Stat. Ann.;

H. “fund” means the state rural universal service fund;

I. “incumbent local exchange carrier” means a person that:

(1)     was designated as an eligible telecommunications carrier by the state corporation commission in Docket #97-93-TC by order dated October 23, 1997 or that provided local exchange service in New Mexico on February 8, 1996; or

(2)     became a successor or assignee of an incumbent local exchange carrier; J. “incumbent rural telecommunications carrier” means an incumbent local exchange carrier that serves fewer than fifty thousand access lines within the state and has been designated as an eligible telecommunications company by the state corporation commission or the public regulation commission;

K. “local exchange area” means a geographic area encompassing one or more local communities, as described in maps, tariffs or rate schedules filed with the commission, where local exchange rates apply;

L. “local exchange service” means the transmission of two-way interactive switched voice communications furnished by a telecommunications company within a local exchange area;

M. “message telecommunications service” means telecommunications service between local exchange areas within the state for which charges are made on a per-unit basis, not including wide-area telecommunications service, or its equivalent, or individually negotiated contracts for telecommunications services;

N. “noncompetitive telecommunications service” means a service that has not been determined to be subject to effective competition pursuant to Section 63-9A-8 N.M. Stat. Ann.;

O. “person” means a natural person, individual, corporation, association, partnership or any other legal entity;

P. “private telecommunications service” means a system, including the construction, maintenance or operation thereof, for the provision of telecommunications service, or any portion of that service, by a person for the sole and exclusive use of that person and not for resale, directly or indirectly. For purposes of this definition, the person that may use such service includes any affiliates of the person if at least eighty percent of the assets or voting stock of the affiliates is owned by the person. If any other person uses the telecommunications service, whether for hire or not, the private telecommunications service is a public telecommunications service;

Q. “public telecommunications service” means the transmission of signs, signals, writings, images, sounds, messages, data or other information of any nature by wire, radio, lightwaves or other electromagnetic means originating and terminating in this state regardless of actual call routing. “Public telecommunications service” does not include the provision of terminal equipment used to originate or terminate such service; private telecommunications service; broadcast transmissions by radio, television and satellite broadcast stations regulated by the federal communications commission; radio common carrier services, including mobile telephone service and radio paging; or one- way cable television service;

R. “telecommunications company” means a person that provides public telecommunications service;

S. “voice services” means the transmission of signs, signals, writings, images, sounds, messages, data or other information of any nature by wire, radio, light waves or other electromagnetic means, including those voice services provided by incumbent local exchange carriers, competitive telecommunications service providers, mobile wireless providers and interconnected voice-over-internet protocol service providers;

T. “wire center” means a facility where local exchange access lines converge and are connected to a switching device that provides access to the public switched network and includes remote switching units and host switching units; and

U. “wire center serving area” means the geographic area of a local exchange area served by a single wire center.