Telecommunications and Geography - Tapa dura

In the modern world, telecommunications play a dominant role in economic and social interaction. Their unique ability to compress time and distance may seem to have undercut the importance of geography, yet paradoxically a geographical perspective is necessary to appreciate their true impact and role. Treating telecommunications as geographical phenomena, this study examines the geography of telecommunications on three scales - the urban (or local), the regional/national and the global - and demonstrates how their levels interact and vary. He begins by reviewing the history of telecommunications and the present technological capabilities, particularly the integration of the telephone, the computer and TV. He then outlines the concept and processes of telecommunications geography, explaining in detail the geographical dimensions of the topic in each of the three scales. Broad in conception, thought-provoking in structure and rich in illustration and example, this work opens an important new field for urban, economic and human geography.