This book investigates the economic and technical mechanisms governing how disparate networks link together to form the global internet. The authors, David Waterman and Gregory L. Rosston, utilize their expertise in telecommunications policy and industrial organization to analyze the incentives that drive network interconnection. They present a framework that balances the competitive interests of internet service providers with the necessity of universal connectivity, examining how regulatory policies influence market outcomes.

Experts in telecommunications policy recognize this work as a rigorous examination of the structural challenges inherent in internet architecture. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a foundational resource for understanding the intersection of market competition and technical infrastructure.