Federal Internet Exchange

{{Use American English|date=January 2019}}{{Short description|Former Internet peering points in the United States

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Federal Internet Exchange (FIX) points were policy-based network peering points where U.S. federal agency networks, such as the National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET), NASA Science Network (NSN), Energy Sciences Network (ESnet), and MILNET were interconnected.

Two FIXes were established in June 1989 under the auspices of the Federal Engineering Planning Group (FEPG).[https://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/1999/01/17425 "Profile: At Home's Milo Medin"], Wired, January 20, 1999 FIX East, at the University of Maryland in College Park, and FIX West, at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. The existence of the FIXes allowed the ARPANET to be phased out in mid-1990.[http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?seq=1&view=image&size=100&id=mdp.39015035356347&u=1&num=40 "The Technology Timetable"], Link Letter, Volume 7, No. 1 (July 1994), p.8, Merit/NSFNET Information Services, Merit Network, Ann Arbor FIX West was eventually expanded to become MAE-West,[http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/timeline.htm#92 Cybertelecom :: Internet History 1992] one of the NSF-supported Network Access Points.[http://w2.eff.org/Infrastructure/Govt_docs/nsf_nren.rfp NSF Solicitation 93-52] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305030153/https://w2.eff.org/Infrastructure/Govt_docs/nsf_nren.rfp |date=2016-03-05 }} - Network Access Point Manager, Routing Arbiter, Regional Network Providers, and Very High Speed Backbone Network Services Provider for NSFNET and the NREN(SM) Program, May 6, 1993{{Cite web |title= NAP awards |url= http://www.merit.edu/mail.archives/mjts/1994-03/msg00001.html |work= E-mail regarding Network Access Points to the com-priv list |author= Stephen Wolff (NSF) |date= March 2, 1994 |accessdate= June 1, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195813/http://www.merit.edu/mail.archives/mjts/1994-03/msg00001.html |archive-date= October 29, 2013 |url-status= dead }}