@article{cb334b20e94b4af78a5ebc4bd53a919f,
title = "The privatization of the internet's backbone network",
abstract = "Scholars have neglected the privatization of the Internet's backbone network, despite the obvious significance of the U.S. government turning control of a powerful new communication technology over to the private sector. This article analyzes the transition from a government-sponsored backbone network to multiple commercially owned backbone networks. The authors also analyze the implications of the privatization on the Internet's governance, competition, and performance.",
author = "Shah, \{Rajiv C.\} and Kesan, \{Jay P.\}",
note = "The NSF initially contracted out the management and the operation of the NSFNET backbone to the team of MERIT, a consortium of Michigan universities, in conjunction with IBM and MCI. MERIT was responsible for the management of the project, IBM provided networking equipment, and MCI provided transmission circuits for the network. At the time, the NSFNET was supported by funds from the NSF, state, university, federal, and private sector (Computer Networks and High Performance Computing, 1988, pp. 66{\textendash}67). The remainder of this section describes how the NSF went from subsidizing the backbone network to relying on the market for backbone services. This privatization process is analyzed in three stages. The first concerns the overarching consensus by the government to privatize the NSFNET. The second stage focuses on how the NSF proceeded to privatize the NSFNET. The last stage focuses on the actual privatization plan and redesign of the NSFNET backbone. This research was supported by National Science Foundation Grants ITR-0081426 and IIS-0429217. Opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.",
year = "2007",
month = mar,
doi = "10.1080/08838150701308077",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "51",
pages = "93--109",
journal = "Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media",
issn = "0883-8151",
publisher = "Taylor and Francis Ltd.",
number = "1",
}