Section 728.105  Definitions

 

Terms used in this Part shall have the following meanings.

 

            "Act" – The Wireless Emergency Telephone Safety Act [50 ILCS 751].

 

            "Alternate routing" – Alternate routing allows 9-1-1 calls to be alternatively rerouted to another Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) location in the case of the overflow calls on the "B" link or PSAP failure.

 

            "Authorized Wireless 9-1-1 Answering Point" – An emergency telephone system board or qualified governmental entity that has notified the Chief Clerk of the Illinois Commerce Commission (Commission) and the Department of State Police of its intent to be a wireless 9-1-1 answering point or in the case of the Department where it acts as the default provider in cases in which no wireline 9-1-1 exists or in which no notification of intent to provide service has been submitted.

 

            "Authorized Wireless 9-1-1 System" – The geographic area that has been granted authorization from Commission Staff to use "9-1-1" as the primary wireless emergency telephone number.

 

            "Automatic Location Identification" or "ALI" – In an E9-1-1 system, the automatic display at the PSAP of the caller's telephone number, the address/location of the telephone, and supplementary emergency services information.

 

            "Automatic Number Identification" or "ANI" – Automatic display of the 9-1-1 calling party's number on the PSAP monitor.

 

            "Basic 9-1-1" – A general term that refers to an emergency telephone system that automatically connects a person dialing the digits "9-1-1" to an established PSAP through normal telephone service facilities. This is a voice-only service in which there is no ANI or ALI information received.

 

            "Call Associated Signaling" or "CAS" – A term that describes data transmission or signaling that occurs on the same channel as voice communication. In the 9-1-1 environment, CAS is associated with the transmission of the wireless caller's mobile directory number along the same channel as the caller's voice.

 

            "CAMA trunks" – The term CAMA stands for Centralized Automatic Message Accounting which is a centralized point for the recording of switched message toll call information. The information is transmitted over trunk facilities to the recording location and contains the telephone number of the party originating the call, the start and end time of the call, and the destination of the call. CAMA trunks are engineered to provide the signaling interface to the CAMA system. For 9-1-1 systems, CAMA trunks are typically used in PBX and Electronic Key applications to provide for the forwarding of ALI information to the 9-1-1 system provider.

 

            "Cell sector" – One face of a cell antenna (typically 3-sided) that operates independently of the other sectors.

 

            "Central office" – A switching office/facility in a telephone system that provides service to the general public, having the capability of terminating and interconnecting subscriber lines and/or trunks.

 

            "Control office" – The control office controls the switching of ANI and selective routing information to the appropriate PSAP. The control office serves as a tandem switch in the 9-1-1 network.

 

            "Dedicated trunking" – An arrangement in which a telephone line connection has no intermediate switching points between the originating central office and PSAP location. The facilities utilized in this arrangement may be either intra– or inter-exchange.

 

            "Default routing" – The capability to route a 9-1-1 call to a designated (default) PSAP when the incoming 9-1-1 call cannot be selectively routed due to ANI failure, garbled digits, or other causes that prevent selective routing.

 

            "Department" or "DSP" – The Department of State Police.

 

            "Director" – the Director of the Department of State Police.

 

            "Diverse routing" – The practice of routing circuits along different physical paths in order to prevent total loss of 9-1-1 service in the event of a facility failure.

 

            "E9-1-1 selective router" – A telecommunications carrier switching office or stand alone selective routing switch equipped with enhanced 9-1-1 service capabilities. This switch serves as an E9-1-1 selective router for 9-1-1 calls from other local offices in the 9-1-1 service area.

 

            "Emergency call" – A telephone request for emergency services that requires immediate action to prevent loss of life, reduce bodily injury, prevent or reduce loss of property, and such other situations as are determined by local custom.

 

            "Emergency service number" or "ESN" – An ESN is a three to five digit number representing a unique combination of emergency service agencies designated to serve a specific range of addresses within a particular geographical area.

 

            "Emergency Telephone System Board" or "ETSB" – A board appointed by the corporate authorities of any county or municipality that provides for the management and operation of a 9-1-1 system within the scope of such duties and powers as are prescribed by the Emergency Telephone System Act (ETSA) [50 ILCS 750]. The corporate authorities shall provide for the manner of appointment provided that members of the board meet the requirements of the statute.

 

            "Enhanced 9-1-1" or "E9-1-1" – A general term that refers to an emergency telephone system with specific electronically controlled features such as ALI, ANI, or selective routing and that uses the master street address guide (MSAG) geographic files.

 

            "Grade of service" – The probability (P), expressed as a decimal fraction, of a telephone call being blocked. P.01 is the grade of service reflecting the probability that one call out of one hundred will be blocked.

 

            "Local exchange carrier" or "LEC" – A telecommunications carrier under the Public Utilities Act that provides competitive or non-competitive local exchange telecommunications services or any combination of the two as defined in Section 13-204 of the Public Utilities Act [220 ILCS 5/13-204], except a telecommunications carrier that is owned or operated by one or more political subdivisions, public or private institutions of higher education or municipal corporations of this State.

 

            "Local number portability" –  The ability for a customer to change its telephone company while still keeping the same telephone number.

 

            "Master street address guide" or "MSAG" – The computerized geographical database which consists of all street and address data within a 9-1-1 system.

 

            "Mobile switching office" or "MSO" – The wireless equivalent of a central office that provides switching functions for wireless calls.

 

            "Network" – The aggregate of transmission systems and switching systems. It is an arrangement of channels, such as loops, trunks, and associated switching facilities.

 

            "Network connections" – A voice grade communication channel directly between a subscriber and a telecommunications carrier's public switched network, without the intervention of any other telecommunications carrier's switched network, that would be required to carry the subscriber's inter-premises traffic. The connection either is capable of providing access through the public switched network to a 9-1-1 system, if one exists; or, if no system exists at the time a surcharge is imposed under Section 15.3 of the Emergency Telephone System Act [50 ILCS 750/15.3], would be capable of providing access through the public switched network to the local 9-1-1 system if one existed.

 

            "Network segment" – A portion of the network in which there are no intermediate switching points. "A" links and "B" links are network segments.

 

            "9-1-1 database provider" – A telecommunications carrier designated by the 9-1-1 system management under contractual agreement to provide database services for the purpose of storing and updating information required for the provisioning of E9-1-1 service. There shall be one database provider per 9-1-1 system.

 

            "9-1-1 selective routing provider" – A telecommunications carrier designated by the 9-1-1 system management under contractual agreement to provide selective routing for the purpose of coordinating E9-1-1 services. There will be one overall selective routing provider per system.

 

            "9-1-1 service coordinator" – A telecommunications carrier designated by the 9-1-1 system management under contractual agreement to coordinate 9-1-1 service delivery with the 9-1-1 database provider, 9-1-1 selective routing provider, and all participating telecommunications carriers for the provisioning and ongoing maintenance of 9-1-1 services.

 

            "9-1-1 system" – A 9-1-1 service provided by a jurisdiction for a specific geographic area that has been granted an order of authority by the Commission to use "9-1-1" as the primary emergency telephone number.

 

            "Non-call associated signaling" or "NCAS" – A term that describes transmission or signaling that occurs on a separate channel than that which transmits a voice communication. In the 9-1-1 environment, NCAS refers to a wireless solution set that employs a signal control point within a wireless carrier network. The NCAS solution set permits PSAPs to receive ANI and ALI information relating to a wireless voice call via separate data channels, thus permitting the continued use of CAMA lines.

 

            "NPA" – Numbering plan area or area code.

 

            "NXX" – The first three digits of a local seven digit telephone number that identifies the specific telephone company's central office serving that number.

 

            "Number pooling" – Distributing numbers in one "NXX" code to more than one carrier and other strategies for optimizing the use of telephone numbers in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) in the United States.

 

            "On-line date" – A date that is agreed to by all parties as to when a 9-1-1 system is activated for the public.

 

            "Order of Authority" – A formal order of the Commission that authorizes public agencies or public safety agencies to provide 9-1-1 service in a geographical area.

 

            "Originating trunks" – Message trunks capable of providing ANI connecting the serving central office of the 9-1-1 calling party and the designated 9-1-1 tandem control office.

 

            "PSAP" – Public Safety Answering Point, sometimes called a Center or 9-1-1 Center; the initial answering location of a 9-1-1 call.

 

            "PSAP trunks" – The special service circuits between the 9-1-1 tandem control offices and the PSAP.

 

            "Pseudo automatic number identification (pANI)" – A telephone number used to support routing of wireless 9-1-1 calls. It may identify a wireless cell, cell sector or PSAP to which the call should be routed. Also known as routing number.

 

            "Public safety agency" – A functional division of a public agency that provides fire fighting, police, medical, or other emergency services. For the purpose of providing wireless service to users of 9-1-1 emergency services, as expressly provided for in the Act, the Department of State Police may be considered a public safety agency.

 

            "Qualified governmental entity" – A unit of local government authorized to provide 9-1-1 services pursuant to the Emergency Telephone System Act where no ETSB exists.

 

            "Secondary PSAP" – A location where a 9-1-1 call is transferred for dispatching purposes.

 

            "Selective routing" – A switching system which automatically routes calls to predetermined PSAPs, based on the location of the calling telephone number.

 

            "Statewide Wireless Emergency 9-1-1 System" – All areas of the State where an ETSB or, in the absence of an ETSB, a qualified governmental entity has not declared its intention for one or more of its public safety answering points to serve as a primary wireless 9-1-1 public safety answering point for its jurisdiction. The operator of the statewide wireless emergency 9-1-1 system shall be the Department of State Police.

 

            "System management" – The ETSB that provides for the management and operation of a 9-1-1 system within the scope of such duties and powers as are prescribed by the Emergency Telephone System Act. If no ETSB is established, then those persons given the authority to operate the 9-1-1 system by the local public agencies.

 

            "System provider" – An entity providing 9-1-1 network or selective routing or database services.

 

            "Tandem trunking" – An arrangement whereby an E9-1-1 call is routed from a central office to the 9-1-1 selective router to the PSAP.

 

            "Telecommunications carrier" – Shall have the same meaning as defined in Section 13-202 of the Public Utilities Act [220 ILCS 5/13-202]. For the purpose of 9-1-1 service, this definition shall include telephone systems operating as mutual concerns.

 

            "Transfer" – A feature which allows the PSAP telecommunicator to transfer E9-1-1 calls to a specific location or secondary PSAP.

 

            "Trunk" – A communications circuit between two switching nodes (e.g., central offices, PBXs, ANI/ALI controller equipment).

 

            "Wireless carrier" – A provider of two-way cellular, broadband (personal communications service (PCS)), geographic area 800 MHz and 900 MHz Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS), Wireless Communications Service (WCS), or other Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS), as defined by the Federal Communications Commission, offering radio communications that may provide fixed, mobile, radio location, or satellite communication services to individuals or businesses within its assigned spectrum block and geographical area or that offers real-time, two-way voice service that is interconnected with the public switched network, including a reseller of such service.

 

            "Wireless Enhanced 9-1-1" – The ability to relay the telephone number of the originator of a 9-1-1 call, when the wireless phone has a valid call back number, and the location of the cell site or base station receiving a 9-1-1 call from any mobile handset or text telephone device accessing the wireless system to the designated wireless public safety answering point through the use of automatic number identification and pseudo-automatic number identification.

 

            "Wireless originating trunks" – Trunks that connect the wireless carriers switching office (MSO) to the wireline carriers 9-1-1 selective router.

 

            "Wireless Phase 0" – The delivery of a wireless 9-1-1 call in which there is no ANI or ALI information received (a voice-only call).

 

            "Wireless Phase I" –  The delivery of a wireless 9-1-1 call with call-back number, when the wireless phone has a valid call-back number, and identification of the cell-sector from which the call originated, as required by the FCC at 47 CFR 20.18.

 

            "Wireless Phase II" –  The delivery of a wireless 9-1-1 call with Phase I requirements plus location of the caller and selective routing based upon those coordinates as required by the FCC at 47 CFR 20.18.

 

            "Wireless public safety answering point" – The functional division of an ETSB, qualified governmental entity, or the Department of State Police as the default accepting wireless 9-1-1 calls.

 

            "Wireless subscriber" – An individual or entity to whom a wireless service account or number has been assigned by a wireless carrier.