In article ,
"TWayne" wrote:

The telco won't install a demarc box on such a home without a
lot ofpersuasion. I guess their bean counters figure it is cheaper
to just repair the wiring, than to repair the wiring AND install
the box.

There sure is a lot of half and misinformation here. Sheesh!

Since 1984, ALL telephone services (read: ALL) have had a demarc - a
DEMARCATION point.

That was - and still is - usually the Minimum Point of Presence or
Penetration (MPOP).

Services installed or upgraded since about 1986 were done using a
Standard Network Interface Device (SNI or NID).

Is that still true today about no demarc?

Remember the difference between a demarc and SNI/D.

When a premise visit is made, and no SNI/D is present, one is SUPPOSED
to be installed, at no extra charge to the customer, at that time.

Of course, if the weather is crappy, the work load is heavy, the
installer/repairdroid is in a bad mood or Jupiter is not in alignment
with Mars, the retrofit may be ahem deferred.

I was under the impression if there wasn't a modern demarc
box, or if there wasn't one, they were required to install one.

I am not sure that there is an OFFICIAL requiring entity (FCC,
whatever?) but I believe it is official PRACTICE of all telcos.

The new demarcs also have the advantage of getting rid of the
old 600V gas tubes

Old? ARGH!!

Listen, Sonny-boy: I UPGRADED many a protector from the old carbon
block protectors to the "new" gas tube variety. And the new stuff is NO
better than the old carbon blocks.

The "protector" (within the SNI/D if present) is not to provide
"first-level" surge protection. Instead, it is to keep your house from
burning down in the event of a near-direct lightning strike. Even the
modern stuff passes-through MOST transients. If it didn't, a phone
company would have HUNDREDS or THOUSANDS of service call in the hours
after every thunder storm. No way.

What bothers me about that is that even if there is no demarc box,
the demarcation point is still considered to be the wall where the
wiring enters from outside and from that point on it's the customer's
responsibility. From my experience, knowledge the demarcation point can
never go inside a building's walls without special waivers etc. for
factories, etc. where outside access would be dangerous or impossible
for whatever reason. An example would be a prison but there are lots of
others. And they require 24/7 access to the demarcs.

Again, please remember the DISTINCT difference between a "demarc" and a
SNI/D.

In a grandfathered situation (one with no SNI/D), the telco
responsibility extends INTO the premise (residential, commercial and
industrial) to - and including - the protector block.

Most installations have the protection within a few feet of the service
entrance. Those that extend great distances through the building BEFORE
being protected are rare. In those cases, an upgrade would include
installing the SNI/D at the entrance, thereby deregulating the rest of
the formerly telco-owned cable that extends through the building to the
former (divested) demarc. At that point, the protection is either
removed or disabled in favor of that provided at the entrance and new
SNI/D.
--

JR