wmartin@ALMSA-1.ARPA (Will Martin -- AMXAL-RI) (09/19/86)
I had a couple requests to post the results, so here is a summary of the responses to my query about the prevalence of modular jacks. Many mentioned that their BOC offered a free conversion to modular at one time; I do not recall this ever happening here (in SW Bell territory). I get the impression that things vary a great deal between BOC areas, in this and in many other phone-related things! Will Martin *** *** *** Date: Tue, 16 Sep 86 11:14:17 EDT From: jsol@bu-cs.bu.edu About 3 years ago I got a note in my phone bill that if my phones weren't modular that the phone company would come out and Modular-Ize for free. Probably this is no longer the case, but I also believe that most places in my region (Eastern Mass) have been modularized. *** *** *** Date: Tue, 16 Sep 86 07:51:53 edt From: Steven Bellovin <ulysses!smb%ucbvax.ucb-vax.arpa@ALMSA-1.ARPA> A few years ago, I read that 80% of homes were equipped with modular jacks. *** *** *** Date: Tue, 16 Sep 86 17:32:35 edt From: Mark Horton <mark@cbosgd.att.com> Every apartment building I've seen in the last 10 years has modular jacks, and they account for a huge fraction of the turnover that really matters. People with screwblocks are quite common, but they tend to be people who haven't changed their telephone service in at least 10 years, because telco would usually put in a modular jack whenever they came out for any other reason. New construction is, of course, wired for a phone in just about every room, sometimes two. Now what bugs me is hotels. I get a portable PC with a modem, and the modem has a RJ11 jack. The hotel phone has some PBX phone with a hard-screwed phone. I guess they're afraid that someone will steal the phone. I wind up having to open it up and screw into L1 and L2 directly to use the modem. Mark *** *** *** From: xxx!utzoo!dciem!msb@seismo.css.gov Date: Thu, 18 Sep 86 01:46:42 edt I know that in the Toronto area, Bell Canada started a program some years ago to install modular jacks in all existing residences, free. You only got the free jacks in places that were already wired, i.e., they just replaced the screwblock with a jack. This was proceeding on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis. My impression is that it was about 1/4 done when Bell suddenly realized that they were not only making it easier for customers to install and deinstall Bell phones but also making it possible for them to install others' phones, and killed the program. New houses do get modular jacks, of course. I don't have any numbers, but I thought you'd be interested. Mark Brader "'Taxpayer' includes any person whether or not liable utzoo!dciem!msb to pay tax." -- Income Tax Act of Canada, s.248(1) *** *** *** Date: Wed, 17 Sep 86 17:36:01 PDT From: Murray.pa@xerox.com Please summarize if you get any good info. My guess is that any particular house/residence will get updated/converted whenever it becomes interesting. Your comment about the 21st century is probably accurate, but we could discuss how important it will be then. My house (Menlo Park, Ca) has a modular jack. It's been there at least 10 years. When I moved out here, I just called the phone company and asked for a phone. That's what I ended up with. It may have been there already, I didn't watch and/or don't remember. I think it was phone co policy back then to install modular jacks if necessary anytime they installed a phone. I seem to remember a bill-stuffing blurb about modular jacks. Details are fuzzy, but I think they offered to install them for free if you wanted them. It was many years ago, probably just before or during the transition to the new way of life. *** End ***