Section 725.101 Definitions

In the interpretation of this Part, the following definitions shall be used.

"9-1-1 authority" − The ETSB, Joint ETSB or qualified governmental entity that provides for the management and operation of a 9-1-1 system within the scope of those duties and powers as are prescribed by the Emergency Telephone System Act (ETSA) [50 ILCS 750].

"9-1-1 network" – The network used for the delivery of 9-1-1 emergency calls over dedicated and redundant facilities, as required by this Part, to a PSAP or backup PSAP that meets the applicable grade of service.

"9-1-1 system" − The geographic area that has been granted an order of authority by the Administrator to use "9-1-1" as the primary emergency telephone number.

"9-1-1 system provider" − Any person, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, sole proprietorship, or entity of any description that acts as a 9-1-1 system provider within the meaning of Section 2 of the ETSA by contracting to provide 9-1-1 network and database services and who has been certified by the Commission pursuant to Section 13-900 of the Public Utilities Act [220 ILCS 5/13-900].

"9-1-1 telecommunications network" or "9-1-1 traditional legacy service" − An arrangement of channels, such as loops, trunks, and associated switching facilities to exchange voice and data.

"Access line" − The connecting facility between a customer's premises network interface device and the local exchange carrier's facility that provides access to the switching network for local exchange and interexchange telecommunications service.

"Act" or "ETSA" – The Emergency Telephone System Act [50 ILCS 750].

"Administrator" – The Statewide 9-1-1 Administrator.

"Aggregation point" – A point at which network monitoring data for a 9-1-1 system is collected and routed to a network operation center (NOC) or other location for monitoring and analyzing network status and performance.

"Automatic alarm" or "automatic alerting device" − Any device that will access the 9-1-1 system for emergency services upon activation. [50 ILCS 750/2.14]

"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" − The automatic display of the 9-1-1 calling party's number on the PSAP monitor.

"Backup PSAP" − A public safety answering point that serves as an alternate to the PSAP for enhanced systems and is at a different location and operates independently from the PSAP. A backup PSAP may accept overflow calls from the PSAP or be activated in the event that the PSAP is disabled.

"Busy day" – A consecutive 24 hour period during which the greatest volume of traffic is handled in the central office.

"Busy hour" − The two consecutive half-hours each day during which the greatest volume of traffic is handled in the central office.

"Busy tone" − An audible signal indicating a call cannot be completed because the called access line is busy. The tone is applied 60 times per minute.

"Central office" − The site where switching equipment is located. A local central office, also called an end office, is the switching office where individual subscriber's access lines appear. It houses the equipment that receives calls transmitted on the local loop and routes the call over the switched network either directly to the person called, if the call is placed to a location served by the same local central office, or to another central office, if the call is placed to a customer served by a different central office.

"Circuit" – The physical connection (or path) of channels, conductors, and equipment between two given points through which an electronic or optical signal may be established.

"Commission" − The Illinois Commerce Commission.

"Customer premises equipment" or "CPE" − Communications or terminal equipment located in the customer's facilities/terminal equipment at a PSAP.

"Default routing" − A feature that allows emergency calls to be routed to a designated default PSAP if the incoming emergency call cannot be selectively routed due to ANI failure, garbled digits, or other causes that prevent selective routing.

"Department" – The Department of State Police.

"Diverse routing" – The practice of routing circuits along different physical or electrical paths in order to prevent total loss of 9-1-1 service in the event of a facility or hardware 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 emergency calls from other local offices in the 9-1-1 service area.

"Emergency call" − Any type of request for emergency assistance through a 9-1-1 network, not limited to voice. This may include a session established by signaling with two-way real-time media, and involves a human making a request for help.

"Emergency service number" or "ESN" − Sometimes known as emergency service zone (ESZ). An ESN is a three to five digit number representing a unique combination of public safety agencies (police, fire and emergency medical service) designated to serve a specific range of addresses within a particular geographical area or ESZ. The term ESZ refers to the geographic area itself and is generally used only during the ESN definition process to label specific areas. The ESN facilitates the selective routing of calls to appropriate PSAPs in a traditional legacy 9-1-1 system.

"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 those duties and powers prescribed by ETSA. The corporate authorities shall provide for the manner of appointment, provided that members of the board meet the requirements of the statute.

"English Language Translation" or "ELT" − A database table that provides the names of the public safety agencies (or services) associated with an ESN/ESZ number that is displayed on the ALI screen at the PSAP.

"Enhanced 9-1-1" or "E9-1-1" − An emergency telephone system that includes dedicated network, selective routing, database, ALI, ANI, selective transfer, fixed transfer, and a call back number.

"Error ratio" − The percentage of database records that are not Master Street Address Guide valid for a specific 9-1-1 traditional legacy service system.

"Exchange" − A unit established by a telecommunications carrier and approved by the Commission for the administration of telecommunications service in a specified geographical area. It may consist of one or more central offices together with associated plant used in furnishing telecommunications services in that area. Exchanges are identified on exchange boundary maps on file with the Commission.

"Forced disconnect" − A feature that allows the PSAP to release a telephone connection, even though the calling party has not yet disconnected, to avoid caller jamming of the incoming trunks.

"Geographical Information System" or "GIS" − A system for capturing, storing, displaying, analyzing and managing data and associated attributes that are spatially referenced.

"Geospatial Data" − Information that accurately refers to a precise location on the earth's surface using latitude, longitude, elevation and other data that identify the coordinate system used.

"Grade of Service" – P.01 for Basic 9-1-1 or Enhanced 9-1-1 services or NENA i3 Solution standard for NG9-1-1 services.

"Interconnected VoIP provider" – Has the meaning given to that term under Section 13-235 of the Public Utilities Act.

"IP" – Internet Protocol.

"Joint Emergency Telephone System Board" or "Joint ETSB" – A board established by intergovernmental agreement of two or more municipalities or counties or a combination thereof to provide for the management and operation of a 9-1-1 system.

"Legacy network gateway" – A signaling and media interconnection point between callers in legacy wireline/wireless originating networks and the i3 architecture, so that i3 PSAPs are able to receive emergency calls from legacy networks.

"Local loop" − A channel between a customer's network interface and its serving central office. The most common form of loop, a pair of wires, is also called a line.

"Master Street Address Guide" or "MSAG" − The computerized geographical file that either consists of all street and address data or its functional equivalent (i.e. geospatial data) within the 9-1-1 system area. This database is the key to the selective routing capability of E9-1-1 systems. It matches an originating caller to a specific answering point based on the address data. The MSAG will require updating after the initial file is created.

"National Emergency Number Association" or "NENA" − The international not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to lead, assist and provide for the development, availability, implementation and enhancement of a universal emergency telephone number or system common to all jurisdictions through research, planning, publications, training and education.

"Network connection" − 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 ETSA, would be capable of providing access through the public switched network to the local 9-1-1 system if one existed. [50 ILCS 750/2]

"Network diagram" − A schematic flow chart that shows the actual network pieces and flow of activities in a picture.

"Next generation 9-1-1 service" or "NG9-1-1" − A system comprised of managed IP-based networks, gateways, functional elements and databases that augment or replicate present day E9-1-1 features and functions and provide new capabilities. NG9-1-1 is designed to provide access to emergency services from all sources, and to provide multimedia data capabilities for PSAPs and other emergency service organizations.

"On-site database" − A copy of the database that resides with the local 9-1-1 authority.

"Operator services" − Any of a variety of telephone services that need the assistance of an operator or an automated "operator" (i.e., using interactive voice response technology and speech recognition). These services include collect calls, third party billed calls, and person-to-person calls.

"Originating Service Provider" or "OSP" − A communications provider that allows its users or subscribers to originate 9-1-1 voice or non-voice messages from the public to the 9-1-1 authority.

"Overflow" − A call or position used when a call is blocked or rerouted due to excessive traffic.

"P.01" – The probability (P), expressed as a decimal fraction, of an emergency call being blocked. P.01 is the grade of service reflecting the probability that one call out of 100 during the average busy hour of the average busy day will be blocked, or the number of 9-1-1 circuits or facilities from the 9-1-1 system provider's routing equipment to the primary PSAP or PSAPs that are sufficient to complete 99% of all requests for emergency service during the average busy hour of the average busy day.

"Primary point of contact" or "9-1-1 contact person" − The individual designated by the 9-1-1 authority as the contact point for the participating telecommunications carriers and 9-1-1 system providers.

"Private Branch Exchange" or "PBX" − A private telephone system and associated equipment located on the user's property that provides communications between internal stations and external networks.

"Public safety agency" − A functional division of a public agency that provides police, firefighting, medical or other emergency services.

"Public Safety Answering Point" or "PSAP" − The initial answering location of an emergency call.

"Public Utilities Act" – 220 ILCS 5.

"Rate center" − A geographically specified area used for determining mileage and/or usage dependent rates in the public switched network.

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

"Service address" − The location of the primary use of the network connection or connections.

"Split exchange" − An exchange shared with more than one 9-1-1 system.

"Surcharge" − A monthly surcharge amount imposed, pursuant to Section 20 of the Act, on all customers of telecommunication carriers, wireless carriers and interconnected VoIP providers for the purpose of installing and maintaining an Enhanced 9-1-1 or NG9-1-1 system, with the exception of a municipality with a population of 500,000 or greater.

"System" − The communications equipment required to produce a response by the appropriate emergency public safety agency as a result of an emergency call being placed to 9-1-1. [50 ILCS 750/2]

"Telecommunications carrier" − Shall have the same meaning as specified in Section 13-202 of the Public Utilities Act, including those carriers acting as resellers of telecommunications services. For the purpose of 9-1-1 service, this definition shall include telephone systems operating as mutual concerns. A telecommunications carrier under the Public Utilities Act may provide competitive or noncompetitive local exchange telecommunications services or any combination of the two as defined in Section 13-204 of the Public Utilities Act.

"Telecommunications service" − Shall have the same meaning as specified in Section 13-203 of the Public Utilities Act.

"Terminal equipment" − Telephone station apparatus.

"Transfer" − A feature that allows the PSAP telecommunicator to transfer emergency calls to a specific location or secondary PSAP.

"Trunk" − A transmission path between switching units, switching centers, and/or toll centers.

"Virtual Answering Point" or "VAP" – A temporary or non-permanent location that:

is capable of receiving an emergency call;

contains a fully functional worksite that is not bound to a specific location but rather is portable and scalable connecting emergency call takers or dispatchers to the work process; and

is capable of completing the call dispatching process.

"Virtual PSAP" – A fully functional worksite that is not bound to a specific location but is portable and scalable, connecting employees to the work process in the most advantageous setting, rather than employees having to come to a centralized work location to connect to the work process.

(Source: Amended at 40 Ill. Reg. 8170, effective May 25, 2016)