Local access and transport area

Local access and transport area (LATA): Under the terms of the Modification of Final Judgment (MFJ), a geographical area within which a divested Bell Operating Company (BOC) is permitted to offer exchange telecommunications and exchange access services.

Note: Under the terms of the MFJ, the BOCs are generally prohibited from providing services that originate in one LATA and terminate in another.

Source: from Federal Standard 1037C