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NEARnet
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<p>NEARnet (New England Academic and Research Network) was an innovative high-speed regional network for education, research and development, established in 1988 by a consortium led by <a href="/facts/Boston_University/Vcyr2qAh">Boston University</a>, <a href="/facts/Harvard_University/Lhy9L1cx">Harvard University</a>, and <a href="/facts/MIT/Xk49vNA8">MIT</a>. It was a precursor to the commercial internet, formed after DARPA announced plans to dismantle the <a href="/facts/ARPANET/LyMGWurJ">ARPANET</a>. ARPANET then accounted for 71 of the consortium's 258 host connections. </p><p>Special services and facilities, such as the <a href="/facts/Connection_Machine/wxUPNe4r">Connection Machine</a>, the Massachusetts Microelectronics Center, and library catalogs, were made available over NEARnet. By 1990, NEARnet had 40 members. </p>