The Bell System dominated telecommunications in the United States and Canada for most of the twentieth
century, but its monopoly was not inevitable. In the decades around 1900, ordinary citizens—farmers, doctors,
small-town entrepreneurs—established tens of thousands of independent telephone systems, stringing their
own wires to bring this new technology to the people. The People's Network reconstructs the story of the
telephone's contentious beginnings, exploring the interplay of political economy, business strategy, and social
practice in the creation of modern North American telecommunications.
Objectives
Apply the information covered by the book to form an argument based 5-7 page paper.
Demonstrate that you read and clearly understood the arguments presented in the book.
Apply historical lessons to our present experience
Synthesize three pieces of historical analysis into a single paper under a unifying theme.
Directions
Read Robert MacDougall's The People's Network: The Political Economy of the
Sample Solution