The world of fiber-optic connections reaching neighborhoods, homes, and businesses will be as different from what came before as the world after the advent of electricity. The virtually unlimited amounts of data we'll be able to send and receive through fiber-optic connections will enable a degree of virtual presence that will radically transform healthcare, education, urban administration and services, agriculture, retail sales, and offices. Yet all of those transformations will pale in comparison to the innovations and new industries that we can't imagine today.

In a fascinating account combining policy expertise with compelling on-the-ground reporting, Susan Crawford reveals how the giant corporations that control cable and Internet access in the United States use their tremendous lobbying power to tilt the playing field against competition, holding back the infrastructure improvements necessary for the country to move forward. And she reveals how cities and towns are fighting monopoly power to bring the next technological revolution to their communities.