Privatizing the Internet: Competing Visions and Chaotic Events, 1987–1995
Janet Abbate · IEEE Annals of the History of Computing · 2010
The US National Science Foundation played a key role in the history of the Internet by overseeing its transition from government to private operation. In the process, NSF was forced to balance the competing visions of scientists, politicians, and private industry. This article describes the conflicts, trade-offs, and unexpected events that led to a technical and social transformation of the Internet.