Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!bloom-picayune.mit.edu!athena.mit.edu!abennett From: abennett@athena.mit.edu (Andrew Bennett) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.comm Subject: Re: Modems Illegal in Switzerland? Keywords: modems, Big Brother Message-ID: <1991Jan4.220510.4698@athena.mit.edu> Date: 4 Jan 91 22:05:10 GMT References: <1044@gistdev.gist.com> Sender: news@athena.mit.edu (News system) Reply-To: abennett@athena.mit.edu (Andrew Bennett) Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lines: 32 In article <1044@gistdev.gist.com>, andy@gistdev.gist.com (Andy Warinner) writes: |> |> I just purchased a Teleport 2400 baud modem (it uses an ADB port so there |> no external power supply to worry about). When I asked my wife's |> employer in Switzerland about using it in Switzerland, they said that |> modems were illegal in Switzerland. Is this true? Is it one of those |> laws that is never enforced and only meant to guard the phone company |> monopoly? Will I do hard time if I get nabbed? :-) |> |> BTW, the modem has a send fax capability. Can I use it to send faxes |> in Switzerland? |> In Switzerland and Germany modems, phones, answering machines etc. must all be approved by the telecommunications ministry before you can use it. Basically, that means that you can only use those devices that are pre-approved (there will be a sticker on the bottom/back). I don't know what they're looking for when they 'approve' such devices, I've 'heard about' modems, faxes and answering machines in both countries that are not officially approved, and they work fine... Possibly a remnant of WWII/Cold War? -Drew -- Andrew Bennett abennett@mit.edu MIT Room 11-124H abennett%athena@mitvma.bitnet 77 Massachusetts Ave. Phone: (617) 253-7174 Cambridge, MA 02139 --