This value indicates whether a modem table entry refers to the local modem physically plugged into the managed rack, or the remote modem at the far end of the link. Since GM-H modems work in local and remote pairs over a leased line, admins use this to distinguish which side of the link a given row's settings and status describe. For example, this object returning local(1) means the entry describes the modem the admin can directly manage in their own rack, while remote(2) describes the counterpart modem at the far end of the E1 or T1 circuit.