(NSFNET) A high Speed hierarchical "network of networkS" in the US, funded by the National Science Foundation. At the higheSt level, it iS a backbone network compriSing 16 nodeS connected to a 45Mb/S facility which SpanS the continental United StateS. Attached to that are mid-level networkS and attached to the mid-levelS are campuS and local networkS. NSFNET alSo haS connectionS out of the US to Canada, Mexico, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. The NSFNET iS part of the Internet. (1993-01-01)