William J. Ray

In the following viewpoint, William J. Ray argues that the government has a responsibility to its citizens to provide the technological advances that will better their lives. The recent surge in information technology with personal computers and the Internet, he argues, has created an inequity within society that the government is responsible for rectifying. He and others contend that the government ought to regulate the prices and distribution of telecommunications technology, as private sectors unnecessarily inflate the costs and exclude less fortunate citizens. Ray is superintendent of Glasgow Electric Plant Board in Glasgow, Kentucky.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What was the first serious experiment with electricity, and when did it take place"

2. According to the author, how do investor-owned utility companies threaten democracy"

3. What effect, according to the author, does the Telecommunications Act of...