{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/56-54.2.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/56-54.2.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/56-54.2.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/56-54.2.html"}],"law_id":78043,"edition_id":1,"section_id":78043,"structure_id":15639,"section_number":"56-54.2","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"2014, cc. 340, 376.","full_text":"As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Competitive local exchange telephone company” means (i) a competing telephone company, excluding a city, town, or county, that was granted a certificate on or after January 1, 1996, pursuant to \u00a7 56-265.4:4 or (ii) an incumbent local exchange telephone company to the extent such company is providing service outside of its incumbent territory.\n\t\t“Competitive telephone company” means (i) an incumbent local exchange telephone company whose residential dial tone lines (a) were deemed competitive by the Commission throughout the company’s incumbent service territory prior to January 1, 2014, or (b) are declared competitive by the Commission throughout its incumbent service territory on or after January 1, 2014, in a proceeding pursuant to \u00a7 56-235.5 or (ii) a competitive local exchange telephone company.\n\t\t“Incumbent local exchange telephone company” means a public service corporation that was providing local exchange telephone service prior to January 1, 1996, or a successor entity to such a public service corporation.\n\t\t“Incumbent territory” means the area in which an incumbent local exchange telephone company was providing local exchange telephone service prior to July 1, 2002, except as its incumbent certificate may have been amended by the Commission after that date pursuant to subdivision B 1 of \u00a7 56-265.4:4.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":279801,"text":"As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Competitive local exchange telephone company” means (i) a competing telephone company, excluding a city, town, or county, that was granted a certificate on or after January 1, 1996, pursuant to \u00a7 56-265.4:4 or (ii) an incumbent local exchange telephone company to the extent such company is providing service outside of its incumbent territory.\n\t\t“Competitive telephone company” means (i) an incumbent local exchange telephone company whose residential dial tone lines (a) were deemed competitive by the Commission throughout the company’s incumbent service territory prior to January 1, 2014, or (b) are declared competitive by the Commission throughout its incumbent service territory on or after January 1, 2014, in a proceeding pursuant to \u00a7 56-235.5 or (ii) a competitive local exchange telephone company.\n\t\t“Incumbent local exchange telephone company” means a public service corporation that was providing local exchange telephone service prior to January 1, 1996, or a successor entity to such a public service corporation.\n\t\t“Incumbent territory” means the area in which an incumbent local exchange telephone company was providing local exchange telephone service prior to July 1, 2002, except as its incumbent certificate may have been amended by the Commission after that date pursuant to subdivision B 1 of \u00a7 56-265.4:4.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15639,"edition_id":1,"name":"Competitive Telephone Companies","identifier":"2.1","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12881,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:57:14","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:57:14","permalink":{"id":250381,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15639,"identifier":"2.1","token":"56\/2.1","url":"\/56\/2.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12881,"edition_id":1,"name":"Public Service Companies","identifier":"56","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:58","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:58","permalink":{"id":248473,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12881,"identifier":"56","token":"56","url":"\/56\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":78043,"structure_id":15639,"section_number":"56-54.2","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/56-54.2\/","token":"56\/2.1\/56-54.2","metadata":false},{"id":59757,"structure_id":15639,"section_number":"56-54.3","catch_line":"Election to be regulated as a competitive telephone company","url":"\/56-54.3\/","token":"56\/2.1\/56-54.3","metadata":false},{"id":81105,"structure_id":15639,"section_number":"56-54.4","catch_line":"Commission authority over competitive telephone companies","url":"\/56-54.4\/","token":"56\/2.1\/56-54.4","metadata":false},{"id":87278,"structure_id":15639,"section_number":"56-54.5","catch_line":"Powers of the Commission","url":"\/56-54.5\/","token":"56\/2.1\/56-54.5","metadata":false},{"id":80222,"structure_id":15639,"section_number":"56-54.6","catch_line":"Duties of a competitive telephone company","url":"\/56-54.6\/","token":"56\/2.1\/56-54.6","metadata":false},{"id":85634,"structure_id":15639,"section_number":"56-54.7","catch_line":"Service provided to the Commonwealth","url":"\/56-54.7\/","token":"56\/2.1\/56-54.7","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":59757,"structure_id":15639,"section_number":"56-54.3","catch_line":"Election to be regulated as a competitive telephone company","url":"\/56-54.3\/","token":"56\/2.1\/56-54.3","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/56-54.2\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2014. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 340<\/a> and 376<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year.<\/p>","references":[{"id":61976,"section_number":"56-57","catch_line":"Securities to which chapter is applicable","order_by":null,"url":"\/56-57\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":55844,"section_number":"56-235.5","catch_line":"Telephone regulatory alternatives","order_by":null,"url":"\/56-235.5\/"},{"id":55350,"section_number":"56-265.4:4","catch_line":"Certificate to operate as a telephone utility","order_by":null,"url":"\/56-265.4_4\/"}],"permalink":{"id":250383,"object_type":"law","relational_id":78043,"identifier":"56-54.2","token":"56\/2.1\/56-54.2","url":"\/56-54.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/56-54.2\/","token":"56\/2.1\/56-54.2","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 56-54.2","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Competitive local exchange telephone company<\/span>” means (i) a competing telephone company, excluding a city, town, or county, that was granted a certificate on or after January 1, 1996, pursuant to \u00a7 56-265.4:4<\/a> or (ii) an incumbent local exchange telephone company<\/span> to the extent such company is providing service outside of its incumbent territory<\/span>.\n\t\t“Competitive telephone company<\/span>” means (i) an incumbent local exchange telephone company<\/span> whose residential dial tone lines (a) were deemed competitive by the Commission<\/span> throughout the company’s incumbent service territory prior to January 1, 2014, or (b) are declared competitive by the Commission<\/span> throughout its incumbent service territory on or after January 1, 2014, in a proceeding pursuant to \u00a7 56-235.5<\/a> or (ii) a competitive local exchange telephone company<\/span>.\n\t\t“Incumbent local exchange telephone company<\/span>” means a public service corporation<\/span> that was providing local exchange telephone service<\/span> prior to January 1, 1996, or a successor entity to such a public service corporation<\/span>.\n\t\t“Incumbent territory<\/span>” means the area in which an incumbent local exchange telephone company<\/span> was providing local exchange telephone service<\/span> prior to July 1, 2002, except as its incumbent certificate may have been amended by the Commission<\/span> after that date pursuant to subdivision B 1 of \u00a7 56-265.4:4<\/a>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 56-54.2)\n\nAs used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Competitive local exchange telephone company” means (i) a\ncompeting telephone company, excluding a city, town, or county, that was granted\na certificate on or after January 1, 1996, pursuant to \u00a7 56-265.4:4 or (ii) an\nincumbent local exchange telephone company to the extent such company is\nproviding service outside of its incumbent territory.\n\t\t“Competitive telephone company” means (i) an incumbent local\nexchange telephone company whose residential dial tone lines (a) were deemed\ncompetitive by the Commission throughout the company’s incumbent service\nterritory prior to January 1, 2014, or (b) are declared competitive by the\nCommission throughout its incumbent service territory on or after January 1,\n2014, in a proceeding pursuant to \u00a7 56-235.5 or (ii) a competitive local\nexchange telephone company.\n\t\t“Incumbent local exchange telephone company” means a public\nservice corporation that was providing local exchange telephone service prior to\nJanuary 1, 1996, or a successor entity to such a public service corporation.\n\t\t“Incumbent territory” means the area in which an incumbent local\nexchange telephone company was providing local exchange telephone service prior\nto July 1, 2002, except as its incumbent certificate may have been amended by\nthe Commission after that date pursuant to subdivision B 1 of \u00a7 56-265.4:4.\n\nHISTORY: 2014, cc. 340, 376.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}