| If you've never considered getting your telecom | | | | mandated that established carriers had to sell |
| services from a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier | | | | telecommunication services at wholesale prices to |
| (CLEC), the recent mergers of SBC+AT&T and | | | | CLECs. (Don't feel sorry for the established carriers; |
| MCI+Verizon might warrant giving them a look. | | | | we consumers paid for their equipment during the |
| There are two ways CLECs provide | | | | decades of regulated rates.) |
| telecommunication services: they have built their own | | | | By their very nature, CLECs confine their customer |
| network and switch or they purchase the services | | | | base to regional areas but they provide the same |
| from established carriers and resell it to their | | | | services as the established carriers: long distance and |
| customers. | | | | local calling (including VoIP), Internet, and cable services. |
| The Telecommunications Act of 1996 removed the | | | | Many offer packages with features for which |
| antiquated regulations that stymied competition | | | | established carriers charge extra. |
| between telecommunication carriers by allowing | | | | If you're rethinking your telecommunication costs, give |
| companies to build their own regional area networks | | | | your "neighborhood" CLEC a chance to show you |
| and switches. This portion of the Act also forced | | | | what they have to offer. Regardless of the type of |
| established carriers to allow access to their national | | | | CLEC(s) in your area, using one can have a positive |
| and global telecommunications loops. The Act also | | | | impact on your bottom line. |