<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The Internet in the United States grew out of the ARPANET, a network sponsored by the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense during the 1960s . The Internet in the United States in turn provided the foundation for the worldwide Internet of today . Internet access in the United States is largely provided by the private sector and is available in a variety of forms, using a variety of technologies, at a wide range of speeds and costs . In 2015, 97.5% of Americans were using the Internet, which ranks the U.S. 4th out of 211 countries in the world . The United States ranks #1 in the world with 7,000 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) according to the CIA . </P> <P> Internet top - level domain names specific to the U.S. include . us, . edu, . gov, . mil, . as (American Samoa), . gu (Guam), . mp (Northern Mariana Islands), . pr (Puerto Rico), and . vi (U.S. Virgin Islands). Many U.S. - based organizations and individuals also use generic top - level domains, such as . com, . net, . org, . name, etc . </P>

How many internet service providers in the united states