Acoustic couplers were still used until at least the late 1990s by people travelling in areas of the world where electrical connection to the telephone network is illegal or impractical. Many models of TDDs (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) still have a built-in acoustic coupler, which allow more universal use with pay phones and for 911 calls by deaf people. Popular culture An acoustic coupler (a Novation CAT 300 baud model) is prominently shown early in the 1983 film WarGames, when character David Lightman (portrayed by actor Matthew Broderick) places a telephone handset into the cradle of a film prop acoustic modem to accentuate the act of using telephone lines for interconnection to the developing computer networks of the period—in this case, a military command computer. The earliest major motion picture depicting an acoustic coupler was probably the 1968 Steve McQueen film Bullitt. See also Carterfone Federal Standard 1037C MIL-STD-188 Telecommunications device for the deaf Notes External links 1964 Livermore Data Systems Model A acoustic coupler modem surfs the web Digitronics acoustic coupler patent, January 5, 1971 Modems Network access ru:Модем#История