Definition
The long-distance telephone company designated to handle a subscriber's interexchange (long-distance) calls by default. In the FAA acronym list, PIC in this sense refers to the telecommunications carrier providing long-distance service for FAA voice or data circuits, distinct from the more common aviation meaning of pilot in command.
Plain English
The default long-distance phone company assigned to a phone line. It's a telecom term that happens to share the letters PIC with the much more familiar aviation term 'pilot in command.'
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA acronym, abbreviation, and NOTAM contraction lists, especially where communications or telecommunications support is being referenced.
Derivation
From telecommunications regulation in the United States after the breakup of the Bell System in the 1980s. Customers had to choose a 'principal' (main) 'interexchange' (between local phone exchanges) 'carrier' (provider) to route their long-distance calls. The phrase entered FAA documentation because the agency contracts long-distance telecom services like any large organization.
Why Pilots Care
Mostly so a pilot reading the FAA acronym list isn't tripped up by seeing PIC defined as something other than pilot in command. Recognizing that PIC has a second, unrelated meaning in telecom prevents confusion when reading FAA administrative or facility documentation.
Intuition Check
Do not read PIC as pilot in command here. In this context, PIC refers to a telecommunications carrier, not a person flying or responsible for an aircraft.
Example Sentence 1
The facility's outage report noted that the PIC for the long-distance circuit had been switched, briefly disrupting voice service.
Example Sentence 2
When filling out the communications form, the dispatcher noted the PIC code for the airport’s service provider.