Definitions
The following are terms are used by the Project with the following definitions, which are not necessarily academic or industry standards.
Abandoned Infrastructures- An infrastructure that after being threatened was determined not to be of future use or value as an asset to the public or private provider, and was abandoned, possibly liquidated, and the rights-of-way and other real estate conveyed to other third parties. The locale may thus cease to have access to, competition among providers, or benefits of the particular mode of distribution. Certain abandoned rights-of-way may be "railbanked" or held without reversion to adjacent landowners for future infrastructure use and for interim use as a trailway.
Agricultural- Infrastructure used for grazing, crop, and horticulture purposes.
Amusement Ride- An infrastructure whereby devices and vehicles carry or convey passengers on, along, around, over, or through a fixed, restricted, or defined network for the purpose of giving its passengers amusement, pleasure, or excitement.
Bonds- Bonds, notes, including notes anticipating bonds or other notes, commercial paper, certificates of participation, or other evidences of obligation, including any interest coupons pertaining thereto, issued by a multimodalway authority.
Canalway- An infrastructure comprised of trenches and aquaducts, facilities, appurtenances, and other necessary elements to hold and convey water, whereby watercraft may travel throughout the network. An adjacent towpath may be jointly used as a trailway.
Common Carrier- Includes every corporation, company, association, joint-stock association, person, firm, or copartnership, and their lessees, legal or personal representatives, trustees, and receivers or trustees appointed by any court, when engaged or proposing to engage in the business of transporting property or passengers, or the business of providing or furnishing such transportation service, or the business of transmitting telegraphic, telephonic, audio, video, data, Internet Protocol data, or storage of communications by wire, radio, or radio transmission of energy for hire, whether directly or by lease or other arrangement, for the public in general, in or by any medium over any mode of transportation or telecommunication.
Common Carrier Infrastructure Revenues- Those revenues of common carriers derived from ownership, leasing, licensing, operation, or use of infrastructures by government agencies, third party common carriers, enterprises, and end users.
Competition- For-profit common carriers, enterprises, and end users competing against each other for increased market share. Equivalent Competition means competitors competing fairly and equally in the same marketplace, or on the same infrastructure as a constant (i.e., two trucking companies competing for service using an interstate highway). Non-Equivalent Competition means competitors competing potentially in the same geographical market areas, but in different marketplaces, or on different infrastructures, as different variables (i.e., two railroad companies competing for service on their own discrete infrastructures, or a trucking company competing against a railroad company for freight that could be shipped on either infrastructure).
Cost- As applied to construction of a multimodalway project, includes the cost of construction, acquisition of all property acquired by a multimodalway authority for the construction, demolishing or removing any buildings or structures on land so acquired, including the cost of acquiring any lands to which the buildings or structures may be moved, site clearance, improvement, and preparation, interfacing with or diverting infrastructures not affiliated with a multimodalway project, public roads, network access points, interchanges with public roads, access roads to private property, access roads and means to connect private properties bisected by projects, access trails and paths to connect private properties and wildlife preserves for wildlife crossings bisected by projects, including the cost of land or easements therefor, all machinery, furnishings, and equipment, communications facilities, financing expenses, interest prior to and during construction and for one year after completion of construction, traffic and use estimates, indemnity and surety bonds and premiums on insurance, title work and title commitments, insurance, and guarantees, engineering, feasibility studies, and legal expenses, plans, specifications, surveys, estimates of cost and revenues, other expenses necessary or incident to determining the feasibility or practicability of constructing or operating a project, administrative expenses, and any other expense that may be necessary or incident to the construction of the project, the financing of the construction, and the placing of the project in operation.
Demonopolization- A change of business models where a multimodalway authority may construct, maintain, repair, and operate infrastructures as fair virtual exchange markets, thus relieving, preventing, and eliminating monopolization of infrastructures by a sole common carrier or enterprise due to their inherent natural utility nature.
Distribution- Transportation and telecommunication functions of the Production-Distribution-Consumption cycle.
End User- All persons who use, or finally consumes or benefits from the use or receipt of products, services, and information as transported and transmitted via infrastructure provision.
Enterprise- Any form of business organization including, but not limited to, any partnership, sole proprietorship, or corporation, including an S corporation as defined in section 1361 of the Internal Revenue Code and any corporation that is majority work-owned either directly through the ownership of stock or indirectly through participation in an employee stock ownership plan.
Enterprise Infrastructure Revenues- Those revenues of enterprises derived from ownership, leasing, licensing, operation, or use of infrastructures by government agencies, common carriers, third party enterprises, and end users.
Evacuated Tube Infrastructure- An infrastructure comprised of a tubular network evacuated of air, whereby guidewayed (wheeled or Maglev) or guideless capsules may travel throughout the network.
Exchange Market- A physical or virtual facility where the exchange of goods, services, information, and payment is conducted (For purposes of this project, distribution infrastructures are considered virtual exchange markets).
Facilities- Land, buildings, stations, network equipment hosting sites and rooms, docks, station platforms, loading and unloading facilities, intermodal yards, network access points, maintenance of way garages, storage, vehicle inspections, fee payment sites, network operation centers, security monitoring, dispatch centers, kiosks, and all similar facilities necessary for infrastructure provision.
Fees- Assessments, use fees, access fees, special fees, permit fees, or other charges by the multimodalway authority assessed to infrastructure and shared facility lessees and users of a multimodalway project.
Free Enterprise- The exchange market is fair, competitive, and open to entry by all qualified users, reducing government regulation.
Governmental Agency- Any state agency, federal agency, political subdivision, or other local, interstate, or regional governmental agency, and any combination of those agencies.
Infrastructure- The administration, rights-of-way, networking, facilities, equipment, appurtenances, and other items necessary to facilitate, expedite, and optimize use of a particular mode of transportation or telecommunication.
Infrastructure Revenues- Those revenues of a multimodalway authority derived from its ownership, leasing, licensing, operation, or use of infrastructures by common carriers, enterprises, and end users.
Intermodal- Interfacing dissimilar modes of transportation or telecommunication with each other to provide ideally virtual seamless use, interchange, and routing.
Maintenance Road- An infrastructure comprised of an improved or unimproved road network, whereby vehicles may travel and gain access to infrastructures for construction, maintenance, surveillance, security, emergency, and backup services. Maintenance roads may be used as trailways after being securely and safely separated from other infrastructures and when not being utilized for infrastructure maintenance purposes.
Monopoly- An exchange market or natural utility infrastructure is significantly controlled or owned by a dominant common carrier, enterprise, or end user, necessitating government regulation of access, use, and rates in an attempt to achieve a more fair marketplace.
Multimodal- Multiple modes and providers of transportation and telecommunication within a select corridor or location.
Multimodalway- Multimodal and intermodal distribution via public way transportation and telecommunication infrastructures coordinately and safely sharing the same but separated rights-of-way. Each multimodalway infrastructure may be used in multiple ways or purposes by providers and end users.
Multimodalway System- All existing and future multimodalway projects constructed, operated, and maintained under the jurisdiction of the multimodalway authority.
Multi-Use- Multiple uses of a mode of distribution achieved and performed in a safe and secure manner.
Natural Utility- An infrastructure where due to natural physical limitations would be inefficient and suboptimal for multiple common carriers, enterprises, and end users to build their own infrastructure vs. providing and possibly sharing one infrastructure.
Network- The tracks, lines, cables, frequencies, channels, trenches, roads, pipes, tubes, equipment, and appurtenances necessary for infrastructure provision.
Network Access Point- A controlled and regulated point hosted at a site or facility where a network may be accessed by users, or interchanged or interfaced with intermodally or multimodally by other infrastructure providers.
Non-Profit- A closed-loop business model where revenues equal expenses with no profit gain.
Open Access- An infrastructure where any qualified common carrier, enterprise, or end user can equally and fairly use any segment at any scheduled time, emulating a fair exchange market.
Open Source- A product, service, or idea that is placed in the public domain for others to read, redistribute, and modify its content to improve its value and utility. This project is an open source effort where anyone can contribute to it and implement its models without licensing. The benefits and profits of the project will come not from the idea itself but from expedited and new uses of the optimized infrastructures.
Pipeline- An infrastructure comprised of a pipe channel situated on, above or below ground, facilities, compressors, pumps, appurtenances, and other necessary elements whereby various products may travel throughout the network.
Port Authority- A government agency involved in administering real estate, infrastructure, or both as a multimodalway authority. (For purposes of this project, port authorities will restrict themselves to distribution infrastructures).
Project, or Multimodalway Project- Any controlled access and coordinated infrastructure provisions constructed, controlled, operated, or improved under the jurisdiction of the multimodalway authority at a location or locations necessary to facilitate, expedite, and optimize competitive provision and use of multimodal intermodal modes of transportation and telecommunication, and feasibly and safely separate or interface with other infrastructures not affiliated with multimodalway projects, together with all property, maintenance roads, and rights which may be acquired by the multimodalway authority for the construction, maintenance, control, or operation of the project, and includes any sections or extensions of a multimodalway project designated by the multimodalway authority as such for the particular purpose.
Public Roads- All public highways, roads, and streets maintained by a governmental agency.
Public Way- The surface of, and the space within, through, on, across, above, or below any infrastructure, and any other land dedicated or otherwise designated for compatible multimodalway use, which is owned or controlled by a multimodalway authority. "Public way" excludes a private easement.
Railway- An infrastructure comprised of guidewayed (wheeled, Maglev, etc.) trackage or channels situated on, above, or below ground, facilities, appurtenances, and other necessary elements whereby vehicles may travel throughout the network.
Reclamation- Backfilling, grading, resoiling, planting, and other work that has the effect of restoring an area of land affected by past uses so that it may be used for multimodalways, forest growth, grazing, agricultural, recreational, and wildlife purpose, or some other useful purpose of equal or greater value than existed prior to past uses.
Revenues- All fees, service revenues, investment income on special funds, rentals, gifts, grants, and all other moneys coming into the possession of or under the control of a multimodalway authority, except the proceeds from the sale of bonds. "Revenues" does not include state taxes.
Shared Facilities- Real property and facilities including stations, ports, platforms, team tracks, buildings, rooms, equipment racks, loading docks, intermodal yards, parking lots, and all similar and other facilities owned, leased, licensed, controlled, or operated and provided by a multimodalway authority for coordinated, shared infrastructure use by common carriers, enterprises, and end users necessary for fairly shared infrastructure provision of a project.
Subsidized Infrastructures- An open-loop business model where infrastructure and facility revenues do not offset expenses, and outside forms of unrelated revenues must be employed to attain equilibrium. In the case of for-profit infrastructure providers, a additional profit margin is required for return-on-investment obligations.
Telecommunications- Movement of information over an infrastructure; an element of an exchange market transaction.
Telecommunications Infrastructure- An infrastructure comprised of pipes, mains, conduits, cables, wires, strands, lambdas (wavelengths or frequencies lasers network equipment transmits light at), thetas (the polar orientation in degrees/minutes/seconds laser network equipment transmits light at), radio frequencies, towers, antennas, poles, and other equipment and appliances whereby wireline and wireless telecommunication service may be transmitted, received, processed, amplified, regenerated, or re-transmitted.
Threatened Infrastructures- An infrastructure due to business models and administration decisions is permitted to be under-maintained or downgraded, thus decreasing capacity, safety, and security, and driving away traffic and use by common carriers, enterprises, and end users, and becoming a potential candidate for abandonment and liquidation. The locale may experience increasing problems with access to, competition among providers, and benefits of the particular threatened mode of distribution. In the case of private infrastructure providers, the threat may be net leasing, downgrading, abandonment, liquidation, or nationalization. In the case of public infrastructures, the threat may be net leasing, downgrading, abandonment, liquidation, or privatization.
Trailway- An infrastructure comprised of an improved or unimproved road, either discrete from or a controlled and restricted secondary joint use of a maintenance road, whereby pedestrians, nonmotorized, regulated motorized vehicles, pets, and animal-assisted transport may travel throughout the network for recreational, tourism, and fitness needs.
Tramway (including Inclined Plane Railways)- An infrastructure comprised of trestles or towers using cables, chains, belts, or ropes, whereby vehicles may travel or be towed throughout the network.
Transportation- Movement of goods over an infrastructure; an element of an exchange market transaction.
Universal Service- An infrastructure that reaches and provides access to each common carrier, enterprise, and end user facility, or is reachable through intermodalism.
Water and Sewer Infrastructure- An infrastructure comprised of pipes, mains, conduits, pumps, valves, and all appurtenances necessary to provide potable water and sanitary sewer service throughout the network.
of this page; updated 12-3-2004