The desire to bring the benefits of telecommunication and ICT services within reach of every human being is not new. Indeed, one could argue that this core objective has been at the heart of telecommunication policy since 1876. Whether through the nationalization of public telephone administrations or the regulation of private-sector monopolies, the goal has been to maximize the public benefits of constructing as comprehensive a network as possible. As governments began to abandon the natural monopoly argument during the final quarter of the last century, one of their chief concerns was the survival and enhancement of mechanisms designed to construct and maintain ubiquitous networks.