Over the past 40 years satellites have played a key role in creating a global culture spreading worldwide entertainment stimulating technological interchange and promoting trade around the world. Communications Satellites: Global Change Agents addresses communications satellites not only in terms of the technology and the services they provide but also with consideration of the technology's impact in socio-political security economic policy news entertainment and cultural spheres. Editors Joseph N. Pelton Robert J. Oslund and Peter Marshall bring together contributions that place satellites into a broad context and examine how they influence and define today's world. Written in a non-technical reader-friendly style chapters investigate how satellite communications work and explore the role of satellites in such arenas as: *news and entertainment systems around the world; *Internet E-business and the new global economy; *global television and radio channels; *military operations; and *education health services economic development and electronic immigration. Communications Satellites: Global Change Agents examines what satellites have been and projects how they will evolve in the future articulating what they mean to the world today and forecasting what they will mean tomorrow. As the definitive source on communications satellites and their role in today's world this volume serves as a valuable unique and timely resource for scholars and students in telecommunications communication and technology mass communication and society and broadcasting. . Language: English