Deregulation, brought on by the Telecommunications Bill of 1996, combined with the rapid pace of technological evolution, have uprooted conventional ways of thinking about the telecommunications industry. Government at all levels -- federal, state and municipal -- must reevaluate its approach to developing telecommunications policy. Lured by the promise of advanced telecommunications technology to change our society and lives for the better, several American cites are leading the charge, developing ambitious strategies to develop city-wide, advanced telecommunications networks. These cities seek to build a network which can accommodate the full range of traditional services, such as telephony, and advanced services, such as video-teleconferencing, on a single wire running to every home, business, school and entity in the region. The promise of advanced networks, however is not proven, and the issues involved in actually building one are quite complex. This report will look at how cities develop strategy for pursuing advanced networks, and how they attempt to resolve these complex issues.
--Author's foreword.
