> > From: John Day <jeanjour@xxxxxxxxxxx> > > I remember when a modem came with an 'acoustic coupler' because > > connecting it directly to the phone line was illegal. > > No, there was nothing illegal about it. The reason for acoustic > > couplers was that the RJ-11 had been invented yet and it was a pain to > > unscrew the box on the wall and re-wire every time you wanted to > > connect. > > ... > > It may have been illegal in some countries but certainly not in the US. > Huh? Remember the Carterphone decision? Absolutely. Too bad the FCC didn't see fit to extend it to wireless. > The one that overturned FCC Tariff Number 132: "No equipment, apparatus, > circuit or device not furnished by the telephone company shall be attached to > or connected with the facilities furnished by the telephone company, whether > physically, by induction or otherwise." > Now, your point about rewiring the jack may in fact be the reason for > _post-Carterphone_ acoustic couplers, but it was indeed at one time illegal > to connect directly (other than AT+T/WE supplied equipment). I'm skeptical about this last part. Prior to the advent of RJ-11 Bell System line cords used a large polarized four pin jack. After Carterphone all sorts of stuff started to appear to accomodate these, including extension cords, plug-jack passthroughs, and even "cube taps". At one point there was something that said one phone in each home had to be directly wired without a plug. I don't know if this was a regulation, a phone company rule, or just a suggestion, but it also fell by the wayside after Carterphone. I certainly saw acoustic coupled equipment in use long after Carterphone, but in my experience it was because of general intertia/unwillingness to do the necessary engineering, not because of the lack of connectors. Ned