What should a technician check first when a customer reports a no dial tone (NDT) issue after new carpeting has been installed?

When faced with a no dial tone issue following the installation of new carpeting, it’s essential to recognize that the installation process may have disturbed existing wiring. Inspecting for a cable under the carpet is the first step a technician should take. New carpeting often involves repositioning or laying down new flooring materials, which can inadvertently trap or disconnect telephone wires that run under or near the carpet.

If a cable has shifted, been cut, or disconnected during the installation, the customer would naturally experience a no dial tone situation. By checking for cable issues first, the technician can quickly identify if the carpeting is the source of the problem and address it without unnecessarily prolonging the troubleshooting process.

Other options such as testing all phones, checking for outages at the central office, or examining the telephone for damage may come into play later in the troubleshooting process if cable issues are ruled out, but starting with the most likely cause related to recent changes is a more efficient approach.