Honoring Ireland’s Dennis Jennings For His Invaluable Contributions To Shaping The Modern-Day Internet

Beckerman: “Ultimately the Internet is a global network, and without the great contributions of people from around the world, the Internet would not be the success it is today.”

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Internet Association is hosting its first event in the EU at Yahoo!’s Dublin Offices in Ireland to honor Dr. Dennis Jennings, Ireland’s Internet Pioneer and Hall of Fame Inductee.

“Dennis’s contributions to the creation of the NSFNET are a perfect example of the global collaboration and innovation that have driven the growth of the Internet since its inception,” said Michael Beckerman, Internet Association President and CEO. “As the voice of Internet companies that create jobs and facilitate the spread of knowledge around the world, we are proud to honor Dennis for his work in helping to create the foundation on which today’s Internet economy is built.”

The event will take place during the ICANN 2015 Public Meeting in Dublin, and will recognize Jennings’ career achievements, which were vital in laying the foundation for the creation of the Internet as we know it today. Specifically, Jennings made three key choices about the network’s architecture, each of which fostered its growth and global reach:

• that it would be a general-purpose research network, not limited to the connection of supercomputers;
• it would act as the backbone for connection of regional networks at each supercomputing site; and
• it would use the ARPANET’s TCP/IP protocols.

“With the recent ECJ ruling on Safe Harbor and the effort to create a Digital Single Market in the EU, it is important that we have the conversations necessary to keep the Internet an open and vibrant platform. Ultimately the Internet is a global network, and without the great contributions of people from around the world, the Internet would not be the success it is today,” Beckerman concluded.

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