Cybertelecom Federal Internet Law & Policy An Educational Project

Internet History :: 2000s :: Commercial Internet :: Era of Consolidation

Era of Consolidation :: Era of Facilities Based Broadband Internet Service

2000

• NSF / MCI cooperative agreement for vBNS expired. Most traffic migrated to Internet2. vBNS
• John Perry Barlow, Censorship 2000, OnTheInternet, Oct. 2000
• Internet
  • First Internet election, Arizona democratic primary (Mar 1)
  • COPA Commission released its final report (Oct 20)
  • ITU adopted Recommendation D.50 (ICAIS); USG took a reservation

  DNS

  • "Internet2 backbone network deploys IPv6" (May 16)

  Industry

  • Verizon acquires GTE (and BBN) and spins off Genuity. [BBN]
  • Qwest acquires USWest and becomes a BOC.
  • WCOM/ Sprint merger rejected by DOJ and EU
  • Data traffic exceeds voice traffic on AT&T network for first time [AT&T]
  • USG Descrambles GPS; Geocaching.com established [Groundspeak]
  • Sprint MCI merger blocked
  • Salon Magazine launches online [Markoff]

  FCC

  • FCC concludes that "broadband" is 200 kbps.
  • FCC Initiates Cable Open Access proceeding
  • FCC Releases Second Sec. 706 Report.
  • FCC Rejects Internet Ventures Petition
  • OSP Working Paper 32: The Digital Handshake: Connecting Internet Backbones
  • OSP Working Paper 33: Bill and Keep at the Central Office As the Efficient Interconnection Regime
  • OSP Working Paper 34: A Competitively Neutral Approach to Network Interconnection

2001

• CIX router shutdown. [CIX Router Timeline]
• Wikipedia launched
• DREN contract awarded to MCI (now Verizon)
• WCOM acquires Digex [Answers.com]

• Dot-Com Bubble bursts

  9/11 creates a flash demand event on the Internet. The Internet suffers major damage in the New York region.

  Industry

  • AOLTW Merger Completed [AOL]
  • Apple Introduces iPod and iTunes
  • AT&T divests AT&T Wireless
  • AT&T / MediaOne Merger
  • DOCSIS 2.0 Released by Cablelabs
  • Google acquires Deja.com (USENET archive) [Google]
  • PSINet declares bankruptcy
  • Wikipedia Goes Online
  • Cogent acquires Netrail. [Funding Universe]
  • Sprint/MCI merger falls through.
  • WCOM acquires Intermedia Communications / Digex on condition that it sells off Intermedia Backbone
  • Limelight initiates CDN service
  • Excite@Home Bankruptcy. Network sold to AT&T.

  Cybersecurity

  • Sept 11 Attack on WTC
  • Patriot Act passed

  Legislation

  • Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act passed.

  USG

  • Bush Administration takes digitaldivide.gov offline

  FCC

  • NPRM Intercarrier Compensation
  • NPRM Triennial Review
  • William Kennard (Democrat) resigns as FCC Chairman; Michael Powell (Republican) is named as FCC Chairman [FCC]

2002

• Judicial

  • Supreme Court strikes down the Child Pornography Prevention Act, making illegal virtual kiddie porn, as unconstitutional
  • US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled that the Children's Internet Protection Act, as it applies to libraries, is facially unconstitutional as a violation of the First Amendment.
  • GulfPower v FCC, (S.Ct.) (ruling FCC can set pole attachment rates for Internet over Cable)

  Industry

  • SBC Acquires Ameritech.
  • Level3 Acquires Genuity.
  • Vonage initiates service
  • Google News launches [Google]
  • PSINet acquired by Cogent
  • BBN builds first network protected by quantum cryptography [BBN]
  • WCOM divests of Intermedia Backbone, selling it to Allegiance Telecom.

  FCC

  • Third Sec. 706 Report
  • FCC concludes that Internet over Cable is an information service.
  • Internet over DSL proceeding released
  • OSP Working Paper 35: Horizontal Concentration in the Cable Television Industry: An Experimental Analysis
  • OSP Working Paper 36: The Potential Relevance to the United States of the European Union's Newly Adopted Regulatory Framework for Telecommunications
  • OSP Working Paper 37: Broadcast Television: Survivor in a Sea of Competition
  • OSP Working Paper 38: A Proposal for a Rapid Transition to Market Allocation of Spectrum

2003

CREN (successor to CSNET) shuts down [CREN History]

Judicial

• FCC Internet over Cable Order Reversed in 9th Cir.

FCC

• FCC releases its Triennial Review Order.
• OSP Working Paper 39: Unlicensed and Unshackled: A Joint OSP-OET White Paper On Unlicensed Devices and Their Regulatory Issues
• OSP Working Paper 40: Dynamic Pricing and Investment from Static Proxy Models

Legislation

• CAN SPAM Act signed into law

DNS

• World Summit on the Information Society

Industry

• Blogger.com acquired by Google; Google introduces AdSense [Google]
• Intel releases Centrino processor with wireless capability built in [Intel]
• February Level3 acquired Genuity [Level3 History]

Cybersecurity

• DOD acknowledges its Total Information Awareness spying plan.

2004

Industry

• SBC acquires AT&T Wireless
• WCOM renames itself MCI
• Google launches GMail [Google]
• Verizon divests BBN, which becomes an independent company again. [BBN]
• Allegiance Telecom, in bankruptcy, is sold to XO

Judicial

• United States Telecom Ass’n v. FCC (USTA II) Triennial Review

FCC

• Chairman Powell announces Four Freedoms (Network Neutrality).
• IP Enabled Services NPRM.
• Pulver Free World Dialup ruled not a telecom service
• FCC preempts MN Decision that Vonage is a Telecom Service
• FCC concludes that Internet over Powerlines is an information service.
• Fourth Sec. 706 Report.
• Fiber to the Home Order
• Sec. 251 Interim Order and NPRM and Order on Remand

2005

• Smithsonian Museum acquires the CISCO 7500 CIX Router. [Farooq Hussain]
• YouTube founded. First video uploaded April 23.

  DNS

  • WGIG releases its report on Internet governance.

  FCC

  • Internet over DSL order, declaring it an information service.
  • Broadband Principals (network neutrality).
  • Madison River enters into a consent decree to stop blocking Vonage service.
  • Michael Powell Resigns as FCC Chairman; Kevin Martin is named as FCC Chairman
  • FNPRM Unified Intercarrier Compensation Regime
  • FCC Releases SBC / AT&T Merger Order Nov. 17.

  Industry

  • Nextel / Sprint Merger.
  • Verizon / MCI Merger.
  • SBC acquires AT&T; renames itself AT&T
  • MCI drops the brand name UUNet
  • Yahoo and MS announce interoperable IM [Yahoo!]
  • YouTube founded by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen , and Jawed Karim, former employees of Paypal. Youtube is launched in December.
  • Level3 acquired WilTel [Level3 History]
  • BT acquires Infonet. [The Register]

  Judicial

  • In FCC v. Brandx, the Supreme Court affirms that the FCC can categorize Internet over cable as an information service.
  • Texas Attorney General files suit against Vonage re 911 service

  General

  • Hurricane Katrina knocks huge portions of the communications networks offline.

2006

• RCN acquires Con Edison Communications [Sidera History]
• Google acquires YouTube in a stock-for-stock transaction valued at $1.65 billion [Google]

• FCC

  • FCC imposes CALEA, Universal Service and 911 obligations on VoIP.

  Industry

  • Western Union sends its last telegram
  • Broadwing acquired by Level3
  • AT&T / Bell South Merger
  • Google launches free WiFi net in Mountain View, CA [Google]
  • Google acquires YouTube in a stock-for-stock transaction valued at $1.65 billion [Google]
  • Twitter is born. First Tweet: "Inviting Coworkers" [Guardian]

  Cybercrime

  • US Sen ate ratifies International Cybercrime Treaty.

  Legislation

  • Patriot Act renewed

  Industry

  • Level3 acquired Progress Telecom, ICG, TelCove and Looking Glass Networks [Level3 History]
  
  

2007

• FCC

  • CPNI Order imposes privacy obligations on VoIP.
  • Broadband Practices (Network Neutrality) Inquiry.
  • Fifth Sec. 706 Inquiry.
  • Internet over Wireless is an Information Service.
  • Rural Telemedicine Universal Service Pilot initiated

  Industry

  • Level3 acquired Broadwing, the Content Delivery Network (CDN) services business of SAVVIS, Inc. and Servecast. [Level3 History]
  • Netflix launches streaming video service
  • Apple introduces the iPhone. [YouTube video of introduction]
  • RCN acquires NEON (Globix) Communications [Sidera History]

2008

• FCC

  • FCC Initiates Investigation of Comcast Blocking BitTorrent
  • 700 MHz Auction

  Industry

  • Amazon CDN service launched
  • AOL discontinues the Netscape browser.

2009

USG

• GSA releases FAR requiring IPv6 compliant products be included in all new IT acquisitions using Internet Protocol

Industry

• CenturyLink acquires Embarq, changes its name from CenturyTel to CenturyLink [CenturyTel Timeline]
• Time Warner spins off AOL, undoing the 2001 merger. [TW]

2010

• Internet carries 240 EB of traffic. [Odlyzko]
• RCN becomes Sidera Networks [Sidera History]
• FCC
  • FCC releases Open Internet Rules v. 1
  • FCC releases Broadband Plan
  • Netflix interconnection disputes between backbone service providers and broadband internet access services become public. Level 3 takes on Netflix traffic as a CDN. Dramatically increasing traffic over its interconnection links with Comcast, Level 3 requests augmentation of the links. Comcast refuses - demanding for the first time (publicly) that an broadband internet access network be paid to receive traffic. Years of "Congestion Negotiation" will follow.

2011

• FCC

  • Jan 18 FCC Approves NBC/Comcast Merger
  • DOJ and FCC block AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile
  • Releases Intercarrier Compensation / Universal Service Reform order
  • FCC Network Neutrality rules go into effect

  Internet

  • Feb. 3: IANA/ICANN hands out last IPv4 block
  • Sept: Internet Governance Forum Nairobi
  • Steve Jobs, co founder of Apple Computer, dies.
  • Stuxnet Worm attacks Iranian nuclear site

  Industry

  • Level3 acquired Global Crossing [Level3 History]
  • Comcast / NBCUniversal Merger
  • July 15 CenturyTel acquires Savvis. [CenturyTel Timeline]
  • April 1 CenturyTel acquires Qwest [CenturyTel Timeline]

2012

• France decommissions Minitel June 30
• Netflix launches the OpenConnect CDN, and contracts with Cogent to deliver traffic to access networks where it Netflix lacks interconnection agreements. The Netflix traffic over Cogent increases dramatically; large broadband ISPs indicate they will only increase interconnection capacity if paid - Cogent refuses - and years of "Congestion Negotiation" follow.
  

2014

• Comcast and Netflix announce a Paid Peering interconnection deal. This is followed by paid peering agreements between Netflix and Verizon, TWC, and AT&T
• FCC
  • Jan 14. DC. Cir. Court overturns Ch. Genachowski's Open Internet rules.
  • FCC Releases PSTN Transition item.

2015

• FCC

  • Feb. 26: FCC releases Open Internet Rules v.2
  • AT&T/ DirectTV merger is approved with conditions
  • Comcast acquisition of TWC is blocked.

  Industry

  • Verizon acquires AOL Fortune June 24, 2015
  • Comcast attempt to acquire TWC is blocked
  • AT&T acquires DirecTV
  • Charter announces intent to acquire TWC
  • Netflix agrees to pay paid peering to Comcast and other large BIAS providers

2016

• FCC
  • FCC issues Set Top Box rules
  • FCC releases Broadband Privacy CPNI NPRM

  Industry

  • Verizon announces intent to acquire XO
  • Altice / Cablevision merger
  • Charter / TWC merger