NSFNET 35th Anniversary Celebratory Virtual Event

Hear how the NSFNET Program and the key decisions made that underpinned the success of that program and led to the global Internet.

As Internet2 is entering its 25th year supporting the technology, infrastructure and service needs of research and education, Internet2 President and CEO Howard Pfeffer will reflect on the importance of NSFNET in the creation of the global Internet and how that served as a catalyst to the creation of Internet2. Pfeffer will discuss his observations on working with the R&E community in today’s world and in a time of pandemic, and will end with the importance of the human network and how Internet2 and the community will work together for the future.

The Internet is clearly now a critical resource for global society, yet decades in and still half of humanity is deprived of the opportunities that Internet connectivity offers. Now, more than ever, powerful forces and frustrated governments seek to mold the Internet to their own wishes and devices, threatening the most generative, innovative, and human technology ever invented. At the Internet Society we focus on growing and strengthening the Internet, and we will talk about the critical areas we see for the future of the Internet, tomorrow or 35 years from now.

Just as NSFNET interconnected many points of research and infrastructure together nationally, we have an opportunity now to broaden access to a rich federation of NSF‑supported and other research resources. This talk will give a sketch of that vision, grounded in current NSF activities.

Addressing questions from the audience