Hi Jake.

Based on your description, it sounds as if that might actually be a TTY (teletypewriter) for communicating with the hearing- or speech-impaired. Does it look pretty much like this?



If so, then it's a TTY, or "text telephone." This device essentially works like a modem: It transmits and receives tones corresponding to the various keyboard characters, which it then displays as text on that little LED screen above the keyboard. Both callers have to use a TTY in order to communicate.