Quote:
* A CLEC provides just one city (more or less)
* A CLEC has it's own physical wires (last mile)


I know as a fact these are not true. I worked for a CLEC that provided pre-paid local phone service. They served a large area in multiple states and did not own any physical wires at all. All of that was handled through the ILECs in those areas. They were simply a reseller that provided an alternate way of paying a phone bill.

ISTR that the CLEC has to establish a relationship with each ILEC independently. I remember not being able to expand into certain areas because we hadn't established a relationship with the ILEC in that area yet.

From what I understand, the entire country has been divided up into small areas, and companies are designated as the ILEC for that region. They are required to provide service to anyone in that region, even if it is not profitable for them to do so. For example, here is a map of the ILEC regions in Ohio.

In addition to ILECs and CLECs, there are also IXCs (Interexchange [Long Distance] Carriers). To make things even more confusing, many companies that are ILECs in some areas are CLECs in the areas they don't control.
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~ John