Connected Nation celebrates National Internet Day

Brighton, Mich. (October 29, 2024) - Connected Nation (CN) is excited to celebrate National Internet Day, a tribute to the technological and social fabric that now permeates our lives. Celebrated every October 29 since 2005, National Internet Day brings awareness to the enhanced productivity and future opportunities that the internet brings to our fingertips.

The digital world offers access to applications and capabilities that improve the lives of people of all socioeconomic levels across all geographies, making internet access essential to global progress. No wonder major investments in internet infrastructure, such as the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, are currently underway to close the Digital Divide and ensure every household can participate in today’s digital society.                   

Numerous articles about the history of the internet are accessible online (of course!) in various levels of detail. Key milestones often cited include:

• The first electronic message sent over the U.S. Department of Defense’s ARPANET, or the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, on October 29, 1969 (which also resulted in the first network crash). ARPANET was a pioneering computer network that led to the development of the internet.
• The invention of email in 1971, which redefined global communication, making it instant and borderless.
• The TCP/IP protocol was adopted by ARPANET in 1983 to enable communications across multiple networks. TCP/IP provided a robust, scalable framework that remains at the heart of internet communication today.
• The introduction in 1989 of the World Wide Web, a system of interlinked, hyper-text documents accessible through the existing internet infrastructure.
• In 1996, America Online (AOL) announces a flat monthly charge for unlimited online chat. AOL’s subscriber base would reach 17 million by 1999.
• Facebook was launched in 2004, with the social media giant achieving a total stock value of $1.46 trillion today.

Major improvements and technological advances since the mid-2000s have resulted in the powerful and information-rich internet that we have today. Innovations in fiber-optic technology, wireless (Wi-Fi) networks, mobile broadband, the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing have all had significant impacts on the speed, accessibility, and overall use of the internet.

Just look at some of the many tasks and everyday actions that a robust internet enables us to improve and enrich our lives!

Today, over 5 billion people use the internet, which represents about 65% of the world’s total population. 

CN is proud to be a key player in expanding the access, adoption, and use of the internet over the past 20 years. Our mission of improving lives by leveraging the power of a rich and responsive internet includes community engagement, broadband planning and mapping, engineering services, policy development, funding programs, digital literacy, and digital inclusion initiatives.

In fact, we currently host myriad online educational offerings — many of which are FREE — to help people maximize their use of internet-based resources. Check out the list and see if one is right for you, someone you know, and/or your community:

• Teens Teach Tech, powered by AT&T — Teens can earn money simply by using their digital skills to help older adults, immigrants, and others learn to use technology. 
• Digital Skills Training — CN brings classes like email basics, cybersecurity and videoconferencing to your community, and can lead sessions in person or virtually.
• Digital Works — This program goes beyond training and job placement to encompass high-demand, telework professions. 
• Drive — Self-paced digital literacy courses for anyone looking to improve their skills.

Everyone belongs in a Connected Nation™. Learn more at https://connectednation.org/.

About the Author: Dan Manning is a Connected Nation Broadband Solutions Manager. Dan coordinates and manages the activities of planning teams in support of Connected Nation’s Connected Community Engagement Program and the development of community-specific community team creation, data gathering, and technology action planning.