The common theme linking the contributions to this volume concerns the future of universal telecommunications service. The goal of having a universal telecommunications service has historically been to keep charges low enough that all but the poorest Americans could afford to make and receive telephone calls, even if they lived in remote and expensive areas. For decades this goal was neither complicated nor controversial; this is now changing rapidly and profoundly. The essays in this volume explore and illuminate the implications. Following the "Foreword" (Gerry Butters) and "Introduction" (Robert M. Entman), the following papers are included: "Private Networks and Public Objectives" (Eli M. Noam); "What About Privacy in Universal Telephone Service?" (Daniel Brenner);"Technologies of Universal Service" (Susan G. Hadden); "Universal Service and NREN" (Barbara O' Connor); "Toward a Universal Definition of Universal Service" (Herbert S. Dordick); and "The Globalization of Universal Telecommunications Services" (Joseph N. Pelton). (JLB)