Based on the findings of a nine-month-long investigation, this report represents the efforts of the Carnegie Commission to design a new structure for public telecommunications that can accommodate the divergent needs of public broadcasting in the United States in the coming decade. Following a summary of the findings and recommendations, the report is organized into ten chapters that deal with the following topics: changing goals in a changing world, the rise of public broadcasting, funding, television programs and services, public radio, public broadcasting in the new telecommunications environment, telecommunications and learning, public accountability, and the social dividend of the electronic media. Eight appendixes contain acknowledgements of people who helped compile the report, a chronology of public broadcasting, a statistical overview, cost estimates for implementing the Commission's recommendations, a discussion of the Educational Broadcasting Facilities Program, a memorandum of law, and a list of public television and radio stations. (FL)