Message from Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke
The Internet has undergone astounding growth, by nearly any measure, in recent years. The number of Internet users increased from roughly 360 million in 2000 to nearly two billion at the end of 2010. The number of hosts connected to the Internet increased from fewer than 30 million at the beginning of 1998 to nearly 770 million in mid-2010. According to industry estimates, this global network helps facilitate $10 trillion in online transactions every single year.
As Commerce Secretary, I am proud to work with the American companies that have led the way at every stage of the Internet revolution, from web browsing and e-commerce technology to search and social networking. Along the way, the United States government has supported the private sector in creating the foundation for the Internet’s success. After establishing the computer network that became the Internet, the government opened the door for commercialization of the Internet in the early 1990s. In the late 1990s, the government’s promotion of an open and public approach to Internet policy helped ensure the Internet could grow organically and that companies could innovate freely. More recently, we have promoted the rollout of broadband facilities and new wireless connections in unserved and underserved parts of the country...
