Seeding Networks: The Federal Role.

NATIONAL Science Foundation (U.S.); UNITED States. Dept. of Defense

The article focuses on the role of federal agencies in the development of computer networking. There has been significant return of the organizations that participated in this work. But the work of the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Department of Defense, and the National Science Foundation has been outstanding. They established the feasibility of an efficient packet switching network and provided a technology development. Governments and the military have been interested in telecommunication since ancient times, but two optical networks were particularly influential. The French government built a network of semaphore towers designed by Claude Chappe in 1793, and in 1794, the British Admiralty began a network using George Murray's towers on which six shutters could be open or closed. When it was time to begin commercial development, government orders underwrote machines from innovative startups like Engineering Research Associates and well-established companies. The article provides information on various R&D efforts of the government, including the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment system, designed to defend the U.S. against manned bomber attacks. INSET: Pointers.