This standard specifies technical criteria for terminal equipment approved in accordance with 47 CFR 68 for direct connection to the public switched telephone network, including private line services provided over wireline facilities owned by providers of wireline telecommunications. These technical criteria are intended to protect the telephone network from the harms defined in 47 CFR 68.3. Conformance to the technical criteria in this standard will not assure compatibility with wireline carrier services.

Except for the grandfathered terminal equipment identified in Annex A, the technical criteria in this standard apply to the direct connection:

a) Of all terminal equipment to the public switched telephone network, for use in conjunction with all analog services other than party line service;

b) Of all terminal equipment to channels furnished in connection with foreign exchange lines (customer-premises end), the station end of off-premises stations associated with PBX and Centrex services, trunk-to-station tie lines (trunk end only) and switched service network station lines (CCSA and EPSCS);

c) Of all PBX (or similar) systems to private line services for tie trunk type interfaces and off premises station lines;

d) Of all terminal equipment to subrate and 1.544 Mbps digital services;

e) Of approved terminal equipment or approved protective circuitry to Local Area Data Channels and to channels which are similar to Local Area Data Channels that are obtained as special assemblies;

f) Of all terminal equipment or systems to voiceband private line channels for 2-point and multipoint private line services (excluding those identified in Category II, AT&T Tariff F.C.C. No. 260 or subsequent revisions) that utilize loop start, ringdown or inband signaling; or voiceband metallic channels;

g) Of the types of test equipment specified in section 1.3.56;

h) Of all terminal equipment to Public Switched Digital Service (PSDS) Type I, II,or III;

i) Of all terminal equipment to the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) Basic Rate Access (BRA) or Primary Rate Access (PRA).

j) Of all terminal equipment to ADSL services

These criteria apply to terminal equipment approved after publication of this document. Previously approved TE retains its status under the requirements in effect at the time the TE was approved. All TE shall continue to comply with the requirements in effect when the TE was approved. Equipment grandfathered by FCC action is identified in Annex A along with the conditions that allow such TE to be connected without approval.

TE that is modified shall be re-approved under the requirements in effect at the time of the modification, not necessarily those requirements in effect at the time of the prior approval. Except as other wise specified herein, A modification is any change that affects the compliance of TE to this standard. Repair to TE, where no modification has occurred, does not require re-approval.

Requirements retained by the Commission in 47 CFR Part 68, including hearing aid compatibility and volume control, are not covered in this standard.

Two categories of specifications are used in this standard, mandatory requirements and recommendations. Mandatory requirements are designated by the word "shall" and recommendations by the word "should".