Fascinating tale of the journey of wireless communication from proven theory to some of the things we’re familiar with today. Examples include: wireless telegraphs, AM/FM radio, radio stations, b&w/colored television, TV stations and networks (CBS, NBC and co), satellite comms and the wireless telephone.

It also covered the pivotal role of the US govt, through WWI efforts, in the development of the tech.

After the first few chapters, the tech barely got any more mention. The book became about politics, monopoly, regulation, business strategy, lobbying, corruption and so on.

Another interesting point for me are the similarities between stuff like crypto and wireless tech:

In the early days, people knew they were both useful — theoretically — but couldn’t find real practical applications that worked well and rivaled the status quo. In fact, many people considered the shares of wireless tech (radio, TV, telcos) companies to be scams.

Another point of similarity is how funds were raised. Entrepreneurs shortly after conceiving the idea raised money from investors or the public just like it is/was with a lot of crypto projects.

Without the very crude and limited wireless telegraph of back then, there’d probably have been no survivors on the titanic. Titanic’s crash’s pivotal role in making wireless tech more believable was covered.

I found it shocking how powerful politicians and lawmakers were, even with stuff as technical as wireless comms. I couldn’t help but notice the stark mismatch between the skillset of lawmakers and the decisions they had to make. For instance, FM radio transmission was banned shortly after launch because it supposedly posed a health risk to humans despite scientific evidence that that wasn’t the case. Behind all of this was a power play between AM radio station owners, radio set manufacturers, FM radio proponents and politicians

A lot of the decisions around regulation were primarily driven by self interest instead of common good — often to the detriment of technological progress. There was so much side dealing, insider trading and lobbying both overt and covert across board from the Senate to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Definitely recommend this to anyone who is curious about how we went from electrical telegraph machines to communications via the internet