> From: John Day <jeanjour(_at_)comcast(_dot_)net>
> 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