Scanners that are widely available to the general public at local electronics stores can easily pick up cordless telephone conversations. Many scanner enthusiasts do not realize that the Federal wiretap law was amended in 1994 to protect cordless telephone conversations from interception. In a "triumph of politics over technology" intentional interception subjects the scanner enthusiast to potential criminal penalties and civil damages. In addition to reviewing case law on the use of cordless telephones, the article reviews Federal wiretap law and State wiretapping statutes, proposes changes to the law, and examines cordless telephone technology. Prior to the 1994 amendment to the Federal Act, State legislatures and courts had slowly begun to recognize that cordless telephone conversations deserve some protection, although they were loathe to criminalize inadvertent interception or hamper law enforcement activities to any great extent. Although legally protected, two parties desiring privacy should use land line telephones or the new generation of cordless or cellular telephones. Notes, appendix