People call them DSL "modems" because the term describes the gear in ways people understand today.

Actually, the DSL equipment is a network termination device with a micro-router inside. It doesn't really make calls the way a traditional modem does. Nor can it be used to place calls to a traditional modem.

The DSL micro-router is used to connect only to another DSL device, namely the US West device on the other end of your phoneline. And that device carries traffic back to us and, from there, out onto the Internet.