The authors, based on their work with the Advanced Television Research Program at MIT, which is working on high-definition television (HDTV), focus on the policy debate surrounding the communications revolution. They believe that the “integrated digital electronic network” is inherently different from prior technologies and, thus, requires “a policy paradigm shift.”

This book, which the authors were writing just as the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was signed into law, was inspired by the late Ithiel de Sola Pool and “his seminal book Technologies of Freedom” [1]. In place of the Telecommunications Act, the authors propose an open communications infrastructure. They develop “a reformed regulatory structure in the position of ensuring meaningful competition while abandoning its role as arbiter of tariffs and definer of public service and public interest.” They recall “the railroad robber barons of the late nineteenth century” and, in doing so, attempt to “[draw] attention to the parallels between transportation and communication.”

Chapter 1, “Political Gridlock,” introduces the central players, themes, and inherent problems associated with legislative safeguards. Chapter 2, “The Nature of Networks,” argues that “the generic properties of the new networks render them inherently unfriendly to monopolies, hierarchies, and centralized control.” Chapter 3, “The Network and the State,” asserts that governmental involvement is required “in building and maintaining public networks.” In chapter 4, “Networks and Productivity,” the authors argue that the information infrastructure is “the key to international competitiveness in the information age,” but they find the link between information technology and productivity “frustratingly difficult to demonstrate.” Chapter 5, “Network Wars: A Pattern Emerges,” reviews several recent case studies that illustrate “the paradox of the partially regulated and partially competitive markets for communications services.” The final chapter, “Cutting the Knot,” details their proposed open communications infrastructure. Its elements are open architecture, open access, universal access, and flexible access.

This book contains a thoughtful presentation of a timely and controversial subject. It includes notes, an extensive list of references, and a good index. Figures and tables are included where appropriate. It can be read profitably by both specialists and nonspecialists. Anyone concerned with the interactions of government and society with technology should read it.