Is there really a law that makes it illegal to display an antique phone that isn’t connected to a phone line? Is a box of old cell phones now to be considered a weapon of mass destruction?
> Is there really a law that makes it illegal to display an antique phone
> that isn’t connected to a phone line?
No. However, there are laws that devices which purport to provide telephone service must be able to connect to emergency services.
> Is a box of old cell phones now to be considered a weapon of mass destruction?
No. There is no expectation that a device that is disconnected or inoperable will continue to function. That said, a _modified_ device that continues to function would likely still be considered under such laws.
The world is now filled with not too old cell phones that are operable but will no longer function as 3g and below networks are decommissioned - it was similar when AMPS was decommissioned. The expectation that any old phone turning on modified or not will get service is just not realistic.
> There is no expectation that a device that is disconnected or inoperable will continue to function
If the guts of a phone are replaced then I’d argue that’s no more or less operable then an old cell phone.
I think laws in the context of ensuring that device manufacturers provide reliable 911 service is sensible (ie maybe it should be enforced against Google) - but as some nanny legislation because someone might confuse a display piece is a bit silly in my book. (And think of the elderly as insinuated by the GP is weak and insulting - having dealt with demented parents - whether the phone was connected was of no issue - simply identifying a phone was a bigger problem… meanwhile old people aren’t automatically idiots).
It’s also absurd to think that someone lacking the situational awareness to identify a non-working phone also has the faculties to read some warning sticker. This is something that comes from a corporate legal department not something that normal people would think to do.
That's why operators are pretty careful about decommissioning old gear, they monitor the usage and ensure that the stuff is no longer in use when they finally switch it off, and then usually by reducing the density bit by bit rather than by switching off a whole region all at once.
