Internet in the United States

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The Internet in the United States grew out of the ARPANET, a network sponsored by the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense during the 1960s. The Internet in the United States of America in turn provided the foundation for the worldwide Internet of today.

Internet connections in the United States are largely provided by the private sector and are available in a variety of forms, using a variety of technologies, at a wide range of speeds and costs. In 2000, a majority of U.S. households had at least one personal computer and internet access the following year.^[1] In September 2007, a majority of U.S. survey respondents reported having broadband internet at home.^[2] In 2019, the United States ranked 3rd in the world for the number of internet users (behind China and India), with 312.32 million users.^[3] As of 2019, 90% of adults in America use the internet, either irregularly or frequently.^[4] The United States ranks #1 in the world with 7,000 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) according to the CIA.^[5] Internet bandwidth per Internet user was the 43rd highest in the world in 2016.^[6]

Internet top-level domain names specific to the U.S. include .us, .edu, .gov, .mil, .as (American Samoa), .gu (Guam), .mp (Northern Mariana Islands), .pr (Puerto Rico), and .vi (U.S. Virgin Islands). Many U.S.-based organizations and individuals also use generic top-level domains, such as .com, .net, and .org.