Cybertelecom Federal Internet Law & Policy An Educational Project

Internet History :: 1990s

The Machine that Changed the World (WGBH 1992)

1990

ARPAnet is terminated on Feb. 28, 1990. [Babbage 15] [Living Internet ARPANET] [Living Internet NSFNET] Networks that were connected to ARPANet had migrated to NSFNET. The transition from ARPANET (DOD) to NSFNET (NSF) was complete.

"With the creation of the Federally funded NSFNET in 1985, < ARPANET was eventually phased out and replaced by a new Defense Research Internet (DRI) for unclassified military information that would make use of NSFNET. ARPANET and MILNET became the main constituents of a TCP/IP internet DDN (Defense Data Network) - a subset of the Internet operated by the Department of Defense. Other networks in DDN included DISNET (Defense Integrated Secure Network, SCINET (Sensititve Compartmented Information Network) and WINCS (WWMCCS Intercomputer Command and Control System) of the World Wide Military Command and Control System." [NIST 1992 p 5]

Networks

• Association for Progressive Communications founded. [APC] [Frey p 39]

Experimental mail relay at the Corporation for National Research Initiatives is hooked up to the Internet. [Netvalley] Other email services follow suit.

D Waitzman, RFC 1149 Standard for the transmission of IP datagrams on avian carriers (1 April 1990) (aka Internet over Pigeon)

Federal Research Internet Coordinating Committee reorganized as the Federal Networking Council. [Salus p. 207] [Cerf 1160]

1991

Trojan Room Coffee Pot goes online (first webcam)

"Adopt A School is a program that originated in September 1991 and it allows CERFnet users to connect a local K-12 school to DIAL n' CERF. The CERFnet user helps the school use the connection and the available information on the Internet. The school or CERFnet user provides a terminal/PC and modem. Many staff members have already adopted their schools their children attend or that are in their neighborhoods. " [CERFnet] (are these some of the first K-12 schools on the Net?)

"CERFnet also establised their first T1 connection near the end of 1991. This 45 megabits-per-second connection extends between two of CERFnet's backbone sites, UCI and California Institude of Technology. " [CERFnet]

"In February 1991, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ("NASA") and the Department of Energy ("DOE") issued a request for proposals for provision of a network that will primarily serve to connect laboratories conducting research for those agencies. The network will operate at T3 in 1993, 155 mbps in 1994, and 622 mbps in 1995. In August 1992 NASA/DOE announced their intention to award a contract. Under the contract, the network will cost $50 million over five years at T3, with the cost of the higher speeds to be determined later." [NSF Inspector General Report, Sec. V.C.1]

"the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) presented its plan for HPCC in support of the 1992 budget proposed by the Executive Branch of the Government, including funding for the NREN. This plan along with recent congressional legislation calls for gigabit speeds by 1996." [NIST 1992 p 7] OSTP, Grand Challenges: High Performance Computing and Communications (1991).

High-Performance Computing Act (December 9, 1991) (sponsored by Al Gore)

Section 3 purpose

The purpose of this act is to help ensure the continued leadership by the United States and high-performance computing and its applications by --

A. Expanding Federal support for research, development, and application of high performance computing in order to --

1. Establish a high capacity and high speed National Research and Education Network;

2. Expand the number of researchers, educators, and students with training in high-performance computing and access to high-performance computing resources;

3. promote the further development of an information infrastructure of databases, services, access mechanisms, and research facilities available for use throughout the network;

"An integral component of the HPCC program is the development of a high-speed "National Research and Educational Network (NREN)" that is intended to link together research and educational institutions, libraries, government laboratories, and industry." [NIST 1992 p 1]

Commercial Internet eXchange goes online, the first commercial Internet exchange; the public Internet is born.

Networks

• Quantum renamed AOL
• Digex Founded. [Answers.com]
  

1992

Internet Society formed. [NIST 1992 p 7] Internet Activities Board is renamed the Internet Architecture Board. ISOC supports the IAB and the IETF. [Kessler]

"The Internet Society was formed in 1992 by the private sector to help promote the evolution of the Internet, including maintenance of the Internet standards process. In 1992, the IAB was reconstituted as the Internet Architecture Board, which became part of the Internet Society. It delegated its decision-making responsibility on Internet standards to the leadership of the IETF, known as the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG). While not a part of the Internet Society, the IETF produces technical specficiations as possible candidates for future protocols. The Internet Society now maintains the Internet Standard Process, and the work of the IETF is carried out under its auspices." [Kahn, Role of Govt]

Robert Kahn's account is interestings because, at about the same time, there were a number of other voices overstating the role and authority of the Internet Society:

• J Reynolds, J Postel, IETF RFC 1700, Assigned Numbers (Oct 1994) ("The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is the central coordinator for the assignment of unique parameter values for Internet protocols. The IANA is chartered by the Internet Society (ISOC) and the Federal Network Council (FNC) to act as the clearinghouse to assign and coordinate the use of numerous Internet protocol parameters.")
• The IANA website at one point read: "The IANA is chartered by the Internet Society (ISOC) and the Federal Network Council (FNC) to act as the clearinghouse to assign and coordinate the use of the numerous Internet protocol parameters." [Rony p 122]
• See also a much bolder statement by E Krol, E Hoffman, RFC 1462, FYI on "What is the Internet"? p 4 (May 1993) ("The ultimate authority for where the Internet is going rests with the Internet Society, or ISOC.")

The Internet Society (ISOC) was not founded until about 1991 and could not be the source of authority for IANA or the Internet. ISOC is a nonprofit US corporation located in Northern Virginia, founded by Internet professionals, and had no authority over Internet resources to delegate.

In current discussions, notions of Internet authority being derived from ISOC have been dropped.

Networks

• NEARNET agrees that BBN will take over operations of the NEARNET network. [MIT]
• NYSERnet sponsors conference Network Access for All: Learn, Teach, Collaborate [NYSERnet History]
• PSI, UUNET, Sprint and ANS begin to interconnect in MAEs (Metropolitan Area Ethernet) offered by MFS (Metropolitan Fiber Systems). The MAEs were designed to replace the outgoing Federal Internet eXchanges. [Hussain Historic Role CIX 3]

"The US portion of the Internet is made up of different parts. There are Federally subsidized components such as NSFNET, NASA Science Internet (NSINET), Energy Sciences NET (ESNET) and DARPA Test Net (DARPNET) that have agreed to interconnect and carry each other's traffic. There are also commercial networks (PSINET, CERFnet, UUNET/ALTERNET) that are linked together via a commercial internet exchange (CIX) and, via some of its members, linked to the NSFNET backbone. Most midlevel networks are linked to NSFNET and/or commercial networks. International connections ahve been established through government agreements or through business negotiations by the commercial networks. In all, the US portion of the Intenret consists of several government or government subsidized backbones or regional networks, a couple dozen regional/mid-level networks, and thousands or private (industry, university and institutional)networks including private for-profit commercial mid-level and wide-area nets (commercial backbones)." [NIST 1992 p 7]

1993

High Performance Computing Mopdernization Program (DOD) starts
Industry

• BBN acquires New England Academic Research Network, and forms BBN Planet. [Boardwatch Dir. Fall 1996]

1994

NSF Privitizes the NSFNET, giving rise to the commercial public Internet.

North American Network Operators Group (NANOG) chartered. [Merit History]

Federal Interconnection eXcahnge (FIX) is opened to commercial traffic. "NASA constructs a Space Act agreement declaring the FIX to be "a unique national asset" and allows commercial use on a cost recovery basis. [Medin Slide 13]

Internet carries 200 TB of traffic. [Odlyzko]

Networks

• BBN acquires Bay Area Regional Research Network (BARRNET) [Salus p 203] [Boardwatch Dir. Fall 1996] BBN establishes BBN Planet. Will be acquired by GTE in 1997. [BBN Timeline]
• NYSERnet establishes the NYSERnet Internet Training and Education Center, the first Internet training center. [NYSERnet History]
• MIDNET was acquired by Global Internet Network Services. [MIDNET]
• NYSERnet > begins to provide Internet access to K-12 schools and libraries. [NYSERnet History]
• NSF 93-52 cooperative agreement solicitation for vBNS awarded to MCI
• UUNET > begins to de-peer with some networks [Hussain Historic Role CIX 6]
• Apex Global Information Services (AGIS) Founded [Boardwatch Directory Fall 1996 p 19]
  

1995

Federal Networking Council chartered.

Windows 95 has IP stack built into it.

Networks

• UUNet IPO (May). Microsoft selects UUNet to provide nework services for Microsoft Network, which would be bundled and released with Microsoft 95 [Funding Universe UUNet]
• NetCom Online IPO (May) [Funding Universe UUNet]
• PSINet IPO (May) [Funding Universe UUNet]
• April: vBNS (very high performance Backbone Network Service) (NSF) goes online (as part of Al Gore's High Performance Computing Act) high bandwidth network for research applications
• Manitoba Regional Advanced Network (MRNet) established
• Milo Medin is recruited by John Doerr to establish @Home, a broadband cable access company. [Medin Slide 14]
• BBN Planet acquires SURANet. [Boardwatch Dir. Fall 1996]

NSFNET Decommissioned.

April: Cannon goes online

1996

Telecommunications Act (including Communications Decency Act)

March: NSF announces solicitation NSF 96-64 Connections to the Internet, for connections to the vBNS

Internet2 announced. [Merit History]

Industry

• NYSERnet spins off the commercial venture AppliedTheory. [NYSERnet History]
• VERIO Established [VERIO 10 Year Anniversary]
• "AOL publicly traded on NYSE for first time" [AOL]
• Time Warner initiates Road Runner service. (a)Home initiated in San Francisco [Cable]
• MFS acquires UUNet for $2B in stock. [Funding Universe UUNet]
• WCOM acquires MFS for $12B in stock [Funding Universe UUNet]
• Yahoo! IPO [Yahoo!]
• Palm Pilot goes on the market [Pew]
• DirectPC - Internet access via satellite downlink and dialup uplink.

1997

Industry

• VERIO acquires Global Internet network services [MIDNET]
• Teleport Commuinications acquires CERFnet from General Atomics [BNET][LA Times, Teleport to Buy Internet Provider CERFNet, Jan. 14, 1997] [Denise Pappalardo, The Building of AT&T Worldnet, Network World, Feb. 9, 1998]
• GTE acquires BBN (and BBN Planet). [BBN Timeline]
  
• WCOM and MCI merges.

  Amongst the many complex issues that arose during the Departement of Justice and European Community inquiries into the WorldCom acquisition of MCI was the importance of the policy neutrality of the IXPs. Though the CIX was formed as a policy based IXP and the Federal Internet exchanges had policy regulated by the US Government agency networks the MAE-East environment and the formulation of the NSF NAPs were policy neutral. The NAP operator played no policy role; rather they emphasized a policy neutrality and presented their facilities as carrier or service provider neutral for the purposes of the physical location and means of the interconnection between ISPs. At the time of the WorldCom acquisition of MCI the issue of WorldCom's ownership of the MAE's {East and West by this time} raised concerns regarding the perceived maintenance of neutrality and whether regulation might be required to maintain the neutrality of IXPs. [Hussain Historic Role CIX 5]

NSF issue $1 million grant to MERIT, MSU, and U-M in order to interconnect to a very high speed Backbone Network Service. [Merit History]

Cybertelecom goes online

After 14 years in existence, the Federal Networking Council is disbanded and its responsibilities are passed on to Large Scale Networking group of the Computing, Information and Communications. [FNC Archive]

NYSERnet launches NYSERnet 2000, an OC12 statewide network to interconnect with the new Internet2. [NYSERnet History]

GTE/BBN and Exodus peering dispute [Hussain Historic Role CIX 7]

1998

• AT&T acquires Teleport Communications Group which had acquired CERFnet [Smart Computing]
• RCN acquires Erols Internet, UltraNet Communications, Interport Communications, and Javanet. [Sidera History]
• "The Internet2 Abilene Network is announced at the White House with Vice President Al Gore, Vint Cerf, and others. The network is made possible through a partnership with Qwest Communications, Cisco Systems, and Nortel Networks." [Internet2 Timeline]

1999

Larry Roberts founds Caspain Networks [Business Week 04]

Y2K

Cogent Communications starts operatations [Cogent]

Commercial Internet eXchange

1990:

"At the same time that privately owned networks started appearing, general commercial activity on the NSFNET was still prohibited by an Acceptable Use Policy. Thus, the expanding number of privately owned networks were effectively precluded from exchanging commercial data traffic with each other using the NSFNET backbone. " [FTC Staff Report 2007 p 18] [Hussain Historic Role CIX 2]

UUNET, PSInet (William Schrader), and CERFnet (Susan Estrada) meet in order to set up the Commercial Internet eXchange, the first commercial internet peering point, which permitting traffic to be exchange which could not be carried over the NSFNET. [CIX Router Timeline] [CERFnet] The creation of CIX was announced February 14, at the United States Congress Office of Technology Assessment. [Cook pt 3]

Sprint soon joined CIX. [Hussain Historic Role CIX 2]

1991:

Aug 2, the Commercial Internet eXchange was incorporated as a 501(c)(6) trade association. [FTC Staff Report 2007 p 18] [Cook pt 3] [Hussain Historic Role CIX 1] Members of CIX signed onto the CIX Router Agreement which stated in part:

Member agrees that it shall eXchange network traffic freely with all other CIX members that have access to and use of the CIX NAP ("Participating Members") without payment of settlement fees. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the preceding sentence, if a connectivity or routing problem caused by a Participating Member is adversely affecting the stability of Member's routing system, then, after delivering advance notice to CIX in a commercially reasonable time period of such problem, Member shall have the right to suspend the exchange of data traffic with such Participating Member until such time as the problem is alleviated.

[CIX Router Agreement ¶ 2] [Hussain Historic Role CIX 3] Membership in CIX was a flat $10,000. [Cook pt 3]

The CIX established the business model for the settlement-free exchange of Internet traffic between Network Service Providers. From an engineering perspective that was an important precursor to the Internet interconnection architecture that followed such as the Metropolitan Area Ethernet(MAE) and the NSF sponsored Network Access Points (NAPs) that were established for the transition of the NSFNET traffic to competing service providers that included Sprint, ANS, and MCI.

CIX router goes online at the Bay Area POP of PSINET. [CIX Router Timeline][Hussain Historic Role CIX 2] While the CIX router would stay online for ten years, it was quickly superceded by the NAPs set up by NSFNET that became the MAEs, and private bilaterial interconnection .

2000

NSF / MCI cooperative agreement for vBNS expired. Most traffic migrated to Internet2. vBNS

2001

CIX router shutdown. [CIX Router Timeline]

Wikipedia launched

DREN contract awarded to MCI (now Verizon)
WCOM acquires Digex [Answers.com]

2003

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

2005

Smithsonian Museum acquires the CISCO 7500 CIX Router. [Farooq Hussain]

2006

• RCN acquires Con Edison Communications [Sidera History]
  

2007

• RCN acquires NEON (Globix) Communications [Sidera History]

2010

2011

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