I respect your opinion leland, but I've gotta agree with Scott35 on this one. I definately see the advantage to having a communication outlet in the home, and think it SHOULD be mandatory. Phone systems are on their own power, and redundantly backed up, so they WILL work, barring the lines actually being down.
I don't really see this as being a design parameter imposed by the NEC, any more than the requirement for 12' linear wall space between outlets or 2 small appliance circuits in a kitchen, etc. etc., etc.
As far as your statement about the NEC promoting manufacturers, I whole-heartedly agree with you there. I don't think anybody can deny that the NEC has become a marketing tool for new products. It's to the point where you gotta wonder exactly what happens when the curtains are pulled.
This is the reason I got outta the music biz.
