On 6/18/2012 5:43 PM, Chip C wrote:
In my house the phone wires come into the basement (from the
externally-mounted demarcation box) to a junction block that looks
like this one:

http://thisishowweparty.com/img/dmarc1.jpg

(This isn't mine, it's illustrating an unrelated post that I happened
to find. It's also referenced he http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,23986992)

On mine, the phone wires are joined under the outboard nuts. On the
one in the picture, there aren't any phone wires. But on this one, as
on mine, the centre screw is grounded (on mine, to the copper water
pipe, near where the electrical service is grounded).

But the block is of some composite material and there is no obvious
connection from either wire terminal to that centre screw. So what the
heck's the point of grounding it?

I'd like to remove, or at least relocate, this block and modernize the
phone cabling.Are devices like this still current? If not, what's the
"current" correct replacement device?

Thanks,

Chip C
Toronto

If you backed out one of those screws you would find the obvious
connection. There is a carbon spark gap under each screw.

Those carbon spark gap protectors are still in use for old inside demarc
points.