diff --git a/packages/livedata/crossbar.js b/packages/livedata/crossbar.js
index ef76651887..e6db276cac 100644
--- a/packages/livedata/crossbar.js
+++ b/packages/livedata/crossbar.js
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
-DDPServer._InvalidationCrossbar = function () {
+// A "crossbar" is a class that provides structured notification registration.
+// The "invalidation crossbar" is a specific instance used by the DDP server to
+// implement write fence notifications.
+
+DDPServer._Crossbar = function () {
   var self = this;
 
   self.next_id = 1;
@@ -7,7 +11,7 @@ DDPServer._InvalidationCrossbar = function () {
   self.listeners = {};
 };
 
-_.extend(DDPServer._InvalidationCrossbar.prototype, {
+_.extend(DDPServer._Crossbar.prototype, {
   // Listen for notification that match 'trigger'. A notification
   // matches if it has the key-value pairs in trigger as a
   // subset. When a notification matches, call 'callback', passing two
@@ -57,7 +61,7 @@ _.extend(DDPServer._InvalidationCrossbar.prototype, {
 
     if (onComplete)
       onComplete = Meteor.bindEnvironment(onComplete, function (e) {
-        Meteor._debug("Exception in InvalidationCrossbar fire complete " +
+        Meteor._debug("Exception in Crossbar fire complete " +
                       "callback", e.stack);
       });
 
@@ -99,5 +103,4 @@ _.extend(DDPServer._InvalidationCrossbar.prototype, {
   }
 });
 
-// singleton
-DDPServer._InvalidationCrossbar = new DDPServer._InvalidationCrossbar;
+DDPServer._InvalidationCrossbar = new DDPServer._Crossbar;
diff --git a/packages/livedata/crossbar_tests.js b/packages/livedata/crossbar_tests.js
index d5eed6cedd..2eefa6bdf5 100644
--- a/packages/livedata/crossbar_tests.js
+++ b/packages/livedata/crossbar_tests.js
@@ -6,15 +6,16 @@
 // deep meaning to the matching function, and it could be changed later
 // as long as it preserves that property.
 Tinytest.add('livedata - crossbar', function (test) {
-  test.isTrue(DDPServer._InvalidationCrossbar._matches(
-    {collection: "C"}, {collection: "C"}));
-  test.isTrue(DDPServer._InvalidationCrossbar._matches(
-    {collection: "C", id: "X"}, {collection: "C"}));
-  test.isTrue(DDPServer._InvalidationCrossbar._matches(
-    {collection: "C"}, {collection: "C", id: "X"}));
-  test.isTrue(DDPServer._InvalidationCrossbar._matches(
-    {collection: "C", id: "X"}, {collection: "C"}));
+  var crossbar = new DDPServer._Crossbar;
+  test.isTrue(crossbar._matches({collection: "C"},
+                                {collection: "C"}));
+  test.isTrue(crossbar._matches({collection: "C", id: "X"},
+                                {collection: "C"}));
+  test.isTrue(crossbar._matches({collection: "C"},
+                                {collection: "C", id: "X"}));
+  test.isTrue(crossbar._matches({collection: "C", id: "X"},
+                                {collection: "C"}));
 
-  test.isFalse(DDPServer._InvalidationCrossbar._matches(
-    {collection: "C", id: "X"}, {collection: "C", id: "Y"}));
+  test.isFalse(crossbar._matches({collection: "C", id: "X"},
+                                 {collection: "C", id: "Y"}));
 });