National Science Foundation Network
Quick Summary
The National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET) was a crucial component in the development of the Internet. It emerged in the 1980s as the National Science Foundation (NSF) worked with DARPA to expand network access beyond military researchers to the broader scientific and academic communities.1
The NSF funded the creation of a national "backbone" network, the NSFNET, to connect supercomputing centers. This network operated at high speeds and connected to regional and local networks, allowing more users to access it. By the late 1980s, commercial networks began to appear, and the NSF eventually withdrew its support for the NSFNET infrastructure in 1995, recognizing that commercial providers could meet the community's needs. The NSFNET played a vital role in fostering a competitive landscape of commercial Internet backbones.1
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
- InternetFoundation of the Internet
…development and operation of the NSFNET, a national “backbone” network to connect these centres. By the late 1980s the network was operating at millions of bits per second. NSF also funded various nonprofit local and regional networks to connect other users to the NSFNET. A few commercial networks also began…
Read More…development and operation of the NSFNET, a national “backbone” network to connect these centres. By the late 1980s the network was operating at millions of bits per second. NSF also funded various nonprofit local and regional networks to connect other users to the NSFNET. A few commercial networks also began…
Read More 
Internet service provider…digital backbone service, known as NSFNET. In 1988 the U.S. Corporation for National Research Initiatives received approval to conduct an experiment linking a commercial e-mail service (MCI Mail) to the Internet. This application was the first Internet connection to a commercial provider that was not also part of the research…
Read More…digital backbone service, known as NSFNET. In 1988 the U.S. Corporation for National Research Initiatives received approval to conduct an experiment linking a commercial e-mail service (MCI Mail) to the Internet. This application was the first Internet connection to a commercial provider that was not also part of the research…
Read More