There is a distinct parallel between the history of the adoption of the telephone and the history of the growth of the Internet. Fischer's book shows how the telephone began as a broadcast system but soon became a vital communication system for businesses and professionals. Early telephone companies were horrified to find that people were using the phone for personal communication (inviting friends over, etc.). The companies insisted that it was only to be used for business. In the end, the social aspect won out. Although phone companies grew up in urban areas, rural communities often had to cobble together their own rudimentary phone systems. (Remember BBS's?) These eventually became swallowed up by telephone companies, until we arrived at the monopoly situation of the mid-20th century. ( )