Tim Wu traces how every major American information industry--telephone, radio, film, television--began as an open, competitive marketplace before being consolidated by monopolists who controlled access and content. Wu, a law professor at Columbia who coined the term 'net neutrality,' argues that this pattern of innovation followed by monopolization constitutes a historical cycle that the internet may be fated to repeat. He examines how AT&T achieved its long-distance monopoly, how Hollywood studios controlled theater chains, and how broadcast networks dominated through government licensing. Each case shows initial openness giving way to closed systems justified by efficiency or public interest but serving the interests of consolidated power. Wu identifies the critical moment when open systems flip to closed ones as 'the master switch,' a decision point often invisible to contemporaries. The book connects these histories to contemporary debates about internet regulation, arguing that without vigilance the same dynamics will produce digital monopolies controlling access to information. Wu writes with the narrative skill of a journalist and the analytical rigor of a legal scholar, making regulatory history engaging for general readers. The book provides essential historical context for understanding ongoing controversies about platform power and competition policy.