Network Interface Device:

In 1987, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) required telephone companies to relinquish responsibility for maintaining the telephone wire and telephone jacks inside the customer's home and business. This meant that the maintenance of these two items became your responsibility. Inside wire includes the wire from the point where the telephone company's outside wire enters your home or business up to and including the telephone jack(s). The telephone company is responsible for repairs to outside wires.

When your telephone service isn't working properly, the cause may be the telephone(s) you own, the wiring inside your home or business, or the telephone company's wiring outside your home or business. Where the problem is determines who is responsible for repairs. If you rent, please be aware that your landlord may be responsible for the repair of inside wiring.

If your building is equipped with a Network Interface Device (see diagram), you will be able to determine whether a problem is in your inside wiring or in the wiring outside your home or business.

A Network Interface Device (NID) is the point of demarcation between the telephone company's network and the inside wiring.

To test if the problem is in your phone or inside wiring, remove the existing plug (2) by pressing the retainer clip and gently pulling it forward on the plug. Plug in your phone directly into the Network Interface. If the phone operates, the fault may be in your inside wiring. If the phone is in good working order but does not operate, your telephone company's outside wiring may need repair.

If your home or business does not have a NID in place, the telephone company will come to your home or business at no charge to install a NID.

How do you fix an inside wire when a problem exists?

1) You may fix the trouble yourself
2) Have a third party fix it for you
3) Have the telephone company fix it for a time and material charge

To avoid a service charge

If you own your telephone and/or other related equipment and experience trouble with your telephone service, take the steps below to try to isolate the difficulty.

1) See that all cords are firmly plugged in.
2) See that all handsets are in place
3) If you cannot make an outgoing call, unplug all of your phones, answering machines, etc. At various jacks, test each phone individually by plugging it in and making a test call to a friend or neighbor. Continue until you find the phone that doesn't work. You may also try to use your phone(s) at a friend or neighbor's house. If an individual phone does not work at any of your jacks or your neighbor's jack, the trouble is probably in that phone. If all phones work at your neighbor's jack but not at your own, the trouble is probably in your inside wiring or outside cable.
4) If you have difficulty receiving calls, follow the steps above, but have someone try to return your call.
As always, the Telephone Company is responsible for repairs to outside wires and cable. If you have any questions, please contact the business office.