Dummy has always been allowed to ask declarer but the defenders are now allowed to ask each other; for a few years they were not allowed to do so unless the zone organization allowed it. In America it was still allowed but Europe did not allow it then in 2007 it was again allowed.
The trouble is that before 2007 the default was not asking, and everywhere except the ACBL asking became an established revoke. When asking became the default, there was no fixed penalty, but I imagine that an NBO could impose an automatic Procedural Penalty for doing it.
I think that on balance, asking is very poor, because unless you ask in every suit every hand, driving the opponents spare, you will tend to ask only when you are surprised.
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I think that on balance, asking is very poor, because unless you ask in every suit every hand, driving the opponents spare, you will tend to ask only when you are surprised.