DSL Advances

8.1. Overview

DSLs operate by transmitting data over copper telephone lines.^[1] Each line traverses between a customer premises and a telephone company central office (CO) or a digital loop carrier remote terminal (DLC-RT). These facilities are owned by the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC, the traditional phone company) and prior to deregulation, the ILEC operated as a regulated monopoly and was not required to make its facilities available to competing service providers such as competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs). Without access to these facilities, competitive local services were not possible. With the 1984 Modified Final Judgement divestiture of AT&T, the telecommunications regulatory climate began its gradual change from a ...