On 1/2/2013 1:34 PM, ned+ietf(_at_)mauve(_dot_)mrochek(_dot_)com wrote:
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".
Acoustic couplers date back farther than the 4-pin plugs.
As I understood the AT&T claim, they asserted a need to protect their
network from misbehaving electronics and so required all interfacing to
be through the handset that they provided.
Hence the overlay hack of an acoustic coupler. Not unlike MIME...
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.
It was usually enforced rigorously. A given field tech might choose to
overlook a local mod, but they were authorized to remove such things.
So in my apartment, I installed a shutoff switch to the line, to be able
to sleep through attempts by my boss to call me in to work an additional
shift as a computer operator, at UCLA, around 1970 -- if I answered, I
was required to come in. Remember there was no caller ID in those days.
The tech who needed to work on my phone service was very clear that he
was supposed to remove it. After checking that I had handled the wiring
acceptably, he looked at me and said "so if I remove this, you'll
probably just reinstall it, right?" He then left it in place.
d/
--
Dave Crocker
Brandenburg InternetWorking
bbiw.net