Hermes Bound

Home computer terminals, communication satellites, and video telephones are part of our technology today. Tomorrow's wired city and cashless society stagger us with their implications for societal structure, operation, and evolution. This study gives us the background to understand the problems. The opening three chapters offer a general introduction to the technology, politics, and economics of the telecommunications industry. The remainder of the book presents a variety of case studies relating to the development of telecommunications services and technology. These studies show the influence that political and economic constraints have on technological development. Examples come from radio broadcasting, television data transmission, satellite communications, the telephone, and related areas. Finally, the book examines projections of future developments and proposes ways for controlling them in an equitable manner.