Describe the Relationship Between an ISP & the Internet

When the Internet first arrived, you had to go down to a research institute or university and log in to a computer to connect to it. The reason for this is that the earliest circuits were publicly funded through the National Science Foundation. If you didn't have a research-related reason to get online, though, it wasn't particularly helpful. This was long before the days of even such pioneer service sites as Prodigy.

An Autonomous System is a group of routers joined together under the control of an Internet service provider. These systems connect with the systems of other service providers and content providers. Information flows from content providers through the router systems to user computers.

Your ISP has the right to control access to its routers -- that's how it makes money, for example. Whether you're using Comcast, Verizon, CLEAR, or another provider, it has access to equipment that can terminate the circuit leading to your computer.

There are several different hubs around the country--and around the world--that serve as the physical connections for conglomerations of Autonomous Systems. These are called Internet Exchange centers. The Autonomous Systems pay the Internet Exchange personnel to maintain the connections for them.