As used in this article:

(1) "Telecommunications service" means the provision, transmission, conveyance, or routing for a consideration of voice, data, video, or any other information or signals of the purchaser’s choosing to a point, or between or among points, specified by the purchaser, by or through any electronic, radio, or similar medium or method now in existence or hereafter devised. The term "telecommunications service" includes, but is not limited to, local telephone services, toll telephone services, telegraph services, teletypewriter services, teleconferencing services, private line services, channel services, Internet protocol telephony, and mobile telecommunications services and to the extent not already provided herein, those services described in North American Industry Classification System Manual (NAICS) 5171, 5172, 5173, 5174, and 5179, except satellite services exempted by law.

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 58-9-2200

  • Cable service: includes , but is not limited to, the provision of video programming or other programming service to purchasers, and the purchaser interaction, if any, required for the selection or use of the video programming or other programming service, regardless of whether the programming is transmitted over facilities owned or operated by the cable service provider or over facilities owned or operated by one or more other telecommunications service providers. See South Carolina Code 58-9-2200
  • telecommunications service: includes , but is not limited to, local telephone services, toll telephone services, telegraph services, teletypewriter services, teleconferencing services, private line services, channel services, Internet protocol telephony, and mobile telecommunications services and to the extent not already provided herein, those services described in North American Industry Classification System Manual (NAICS) 5171, 5172, 5173, 5174, and 5179, except satellite services exempted by law. See South Carolina Code 58-9-2200

(2) "Retail telecommunications service" includes telecommunications services as defined in item (1) of this section but shall not include:

(a) telecommunications services which are used as a component part of a telecommunications service, are integrated into a telecommunications service, or are otherwise resold by another provider to the ultimate retail purchaser who originates or terminates the end-to-end communication including, but not limited to, the following:

(i) carrier access charges;

(ii) right of access charges;

(iii) interconnection charges paid by the providers of mobile telecommunications services or other telecommunications services;

(iv) charges paid by cable service providers for the transmission by another telecommunications provider of video or other programming;

(v) charges for the sale of unbundled network elements;

(vi) charges for the use of intercompany facilities; and

(vii) charges for services provided by shared, not-for-profit public safety radio systems approved by the FCC;

(b) information and data services including the storage of data or information for subsequent retrieval, the retrieval of data or information, or the processing, or reception and processing, of data or information intended to change its form or content;

(c) cable or video services that are subject to franchise fees;

(d) satellite television broadcast services.

(3) "Telecommunications company" means a provider of one or more telecommunications services.

(4) "Cable service" includes, but is not limited to, the provision of video programming or other programming service to purchasers, and the purchaser interaction, if any, required for the selection or use of the video programming or other programming service, regardless of whether the programming is transmitted over facilities owned or operated by the cable service provider or over facilities owned or operated by one or more other telecommunications service providers.

(5) "Mobile telecommunications service" includes, but is not limited to, any one-way or two-way radio communication service carried on between mobile stations or receivers and land stations and by mobile stations communicating among themselves, through cellular telecommunications services, personal communications services, paging services, specialized mobile radio services, and any other form of mobile one-way or two-way communications service.

(6) "Service address" means the location of the telecommunications equipment from which telecommunications services are originated or at which telecommunications services are received by a retail customer. If this location is not a defined location, as in the case of mobile phones, paging systems, maritime systems, and the like, "service address" means the location of the retail customer’s primary use of the telecommunications equipment or the billing address the customer gives to the service provider, provided that the billing address is within the licensed service area of the service provider. A sale of postpaid calling services is sourced to the origination point of the telecommunications signal as first identified by either (i) the seller’s telecommunications system; or (ii) information received by the seller from its service provider, if the system used to transport such signals is not that of the seller.

(7) "Bad debt" means any portion of a debt that is related to a sale of telecommunications services and which has become worthless or uncollectible, as determined under applicable federal income tax standards.

(8) "Postpaid calling service" means the telecommunications service obtained by making a payment on a call-by-call basis either through the use of a credit card or payment mechanism such as a bank card, travel card, credit card, or debit card, or by charge made to a telephone number that is not associated with the origination or termination of the telecommunications service.