ABSTRACT
Regulation has always been important to telecommunications network managers. Regulatory rules have determined which providers could offer specific services, have delineated service quality requirements, have specified rates, and have outlined conditions of service provision. Network managers have had to understand the complexities of regulation to fully grasp the range of options available for getting effective services at optimum rates. Telecommunications services are provided across and within a complex series of boundaries. Telecommunications services in the US are regulated under a system of dual jurisdiction. The Modification of Final Judgment (MFJ) and the resulting breakup of AT&T introduced another jurisdictional boundary into the telecommunications landscape. Local service is an intrastate service regulated by the state utility commissions. Local service is the basic building block of telecommunications services. Long-distance service, or message toll service, is billed on a per-minute basis. Wireless services have been regulated differently from wireline services. The most common form of wireless service has been cellular service.
