(a) The term "commission" means the Public Service Commission of the State of South Carolina.

(b) The term "commissioner" means one of the members of the Public Service Commission.

(c) The term "corporation" includes all bodies corporate, joint stock companies, or associations, domestic or foreign, their lessees, assignees, trustees, receivers or other successors in interest, having any of the powers or privileges of corporations not possessed by individuals or partnerships.

(d) The term "person" includes all individuals, partnerships or associations other than corporations.

(e) The term "public" means the public generally, or any limited portion of the public, including a person or corporation.

(f) The term "radio common carrier" includes persons and corporations, their lessees, assignees, trustees, receivers, or other successors in interest now or hereafter owning or operating in this State equipment or facilities for the transmission of intelligence by a modulated radio frequency signal, for compensation to the public, including all things incident thereto and related to the operation of radio transmission, but shall not include telephone utilities or services regulated by Articles 1 through 13 of Chapter 9 of Title 58 of the 1976 Code.

(g) The term "intelligence" means the transfer of information either one way, or two way, by tone, data bit, voice, or other means as may be used to convey information to a person, persons, or machine.

(h) The term "rate" means and includes every compensation, charge, toll, rental and classification, or any of them, demanded, observed, charged or collected by any carrier for any communications service offered by it to the public, and any rules, regulations, practices or contracts affecting any such compensation, charge, toll, rental or classification.

(i) The term "securities" means and includes stock, stock certificates, bonds, notes, debentures, or other evidences of indebtedness, and any assumption or guaranty thereof.

(j) The term "service area" shall include that geographical area covered by a radio common carrier system by county unless otherwise specified by the Public Service Commission.

(k) The term "communication service" shall mean a service to transmit audio intelligence by means of a modulated radio frequency signal and shall not include telephone answering services.

(l) The term "regulatory staff" means the executive director or the executive director and the employees of the Office of Regulatory Staff.