Noun
RBOC (plural RBOCs)
(US, telecommunications) Initialism of Regional Bell Operating Company.
Generally, a LATA represents an area within which a divested Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC) is permitted to offer exchange telecommunications and exchange access services. Source: Internet
In some cases a LATA is named after the largest phone exchange in the LATA that was historically served by an RBOC. Source: Internet
Since Las Vegas was not historically served by an RBOC, the LATA is named after the smaller town of Pahrump, which was historically served by Nevada Bell (now AT&T Inc.). Source: Internet
Therefore, independents generally exist as pockets of territory within a greater RBOC region. Source: Internet