IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 717 

Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the internet. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 20, 2019 

Ms. ESHOO (for herself and Mr. COLLINS of Georgia) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the internet. 

Whereas October 29, 2019, was the 50th anniversary of the 

first message sent from one computer to another using 

the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (referred to in this preamble as the ‘‘ARPANET’’), a pioneering predecessor to the internet; 

Whereas, on October 29, 1969, researchers using the SDS 

Sigma 7 Host computer in room 3240 of Boelter Hall at 

the University of California, Los Angeles (referred to in 

this preamble as ‘‘UCLA’’), sent the first ever digital 

data transmission to researchers using the SDS 940 

Host computer at the Stanford Research Institute on the 

ARPANET; 

Whereas the internet evolved in the last 50 years from an 

academic and governmental endeavor to the greatest 


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•HRES 717 IH 

communications network in the history of humanity, improving commerce, communications, entertainment, 

transportation, and so many parts of our economy and 

society; 

Whereas the internet contributes more than $1 trillion of 

Gross Domestic Product and 3 million jobs to the United 

States economy annually; and 

Whereas the internet developed by efforts from every sector, 

including— 

(1) Congress for funding the ARPANET and other 

networks and commercializing the internet; 

(2) Federal agencies, including— 

(A) the Department of Defense through the Advanced Research Projects Agency (now the Defense 

Advanced Research Projects Agency) for funding 

and administering the ARPANET and other networks and developing network protocols; 

(B) the National Science Foundation for funding and administering the Computer Science Network (CSNET), the National Science Foundation 

Network (NSFNET), and other networks; 

(C) the Department of Commerce through the 

National Telecommunications and Information Administration for its leadership role in managing 

multistakeholder technical bodies; and 

(D) the Federal Communications Commission 

in encouraging adoption and improving access to the 

internet; 

(3) State, local, and Tribal governments for encouraging connectivity and deploying infrastructure; 


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(4) universities and research institutions for playing 

a critical role in development of the technologies underpinning the internet, including— 

(A) for hosting the first four nodes of the 

ARPANET— 

(i) UCLA; 

(ii) the Stanford Research Institute (now 

SRI International); 

(iii) the University of California, Santa 

Barbara; and 

(iv) the University of Utah; 

(B) the RAND Corporation; and 

(C) countless other universities, think tanks, 

and independent researchers; 

(5) private companies and nonprofit organizations, 

including those that— 

(A) enable fixed and mobile internet connectivity by deploying infrastructure, including— 

(i) coaxial, copper, and fiberoptic cables for 

backbone, submarine, middle-mile, backhaul, 

and to-the-home services; 

(ii) radio and broadcast towers and small 

cell sites; 

(iii) satellite earth stations; 

(iv) routers, modems, switches, and connectivity equipment; and 

(v) internet exchanges; 

(B) produce and sell computers, smartphones, 

and other devices that connect to the internet; 

(C) develop software to administer and access 

email, the world wide web, and other internet applications; 


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•HRES 717 IH 

(D) provide websites, applications, and other 

software for communications, commerce, education, 

entertainment, employment, and so many other 

parts of our lives; 

(E) provide cybersecurity services to protect 

networks, devices, applications, and software; and 

(F) enable internet companies through business-to-business services; and 

(6) multistakeholder bodies for internet governance, 

including— 

(A) the Internet Corporation for Assigned 

Names and Numbers; 

(B) the Internet Engineering Task Force; 

(C) the North American Network Operators’ 

Group; and 

(D) the American Registry for Internet Numbers: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the 50th anniversary of the first 

3 internet message; and 

4 (2) recognizes the important efforts of govern5 ment, universities, nonprofit organizations, private 

6 companies, and multistakeholder bodies that helped 

7 in the establishment and continue to aid in the 

8 growth of the internet. 

Æ 


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