Citing how learning from rural Alaskans about the importance of information influenced the direction of her career, Hudson aims to spread the word about what Alaskans have learned and achieved as well as others who are concerned about the importance of accessing and sharing information across the North and in other rural and isolated regions. She emphasizes that access to information and the ability to share information are critical to the development process--getting help when you need it, keeping in touch with family and friends, upgrading the quality of education and health care, delivering government services, and running businesses and nonprofit organizations. Nineteen chapters are: introduction; Alaska’s first information highway; expansion of telecommunications after World War II; early broadcasting; privatizing the Alaska communications system; the beginning of the satellite era; the NASA satellite experiments; from satellite experiments to commercial service; telephone service for every village; broadcasting and teleconferencing for rural Alaska; rural television: from RATNET to ARCS; deregulation and disruption; state planning and policy; Alaska’s local telephone companies; the phone wars; distance education and eLearning: from satellites to the internet; telemedicine in Alaska; the growth of mobile and broadband; past and future connections. Annotation ©2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)