Abstract: A public interactive information network (“PIIN”) that effectively rebuilds and reactivates the public pay telephone system. This network and the interactive information terminal described herein provides many new uses for the public telephone infrastructure including delivery of information and content relevant to the individual citizen in real time at the citizen's location. The terminal replaces a pay telephone in any booth or kiosk. A touch screen and a processor controlled by a main program and a suite of software applications stored in the terminal responds to user selections to provide the interactive access to information. The terminal automatically switches between passive and active display modes and receives user selections by touching the display.