Excommunication in the information society

Despite calls for a national information infrastructure based on a model of telecommunications claiming universal service, and longstanding expectations of a global village based in ubiquitous communication technologies, this goal will remain elusive. Universal service, even with massive financial subsidies from advertising, has never been achieved by any medium of communication. The national information infrastructure will not alter this consistent history as people will be excommunicated by excess, economics, and choice. Such deprivation of the poorest members of society has profound implications for their sense of self‐worth, the practice of democracy, and people's expectations of society itself.