This chapter discusses universal service. Universal service is an umbrella term for many policies to enable poorer consumers, and those in rural and other areas which are expensive to serve, to join the telephone network. It has been a widespread regulatory objective in North America for many years and has less formal antecedents in the history of posts and telegraphs. The British magazine Punch wrote of a telegraph network that might reach every house.

Inspec keywords: telegraphy; telephone networks; economics

Other keywords: policies; telegraph network; North America; world telecommunication economic; telephone network; universal service

Subjects: Telephony