Comnet

• General Federation term for planet-wide information and communications network (DIS Novel: Desperate Hours; DS9 Novel: Avatar, Book Two, Trill: Unjoined)
• Starbases or larger starships will have their own devoted comnet as well
• Essentially equivalent to the Internet, but providing greater breadth of service (TNG Novel: The Buried Age)
• Each individual planetary comnet interconnected with the wider Federation network via subspace
  • Interconnections can be opened through standard subspace protocols with allied powers prior to integration, but upon a civilization's entry into the Federation, such interconnections are made more robust and permanent
  • Due to subspace signal delays, the Federation-wide network is not near-real-time as with even the Internet today; real-time connectivity largely limited to single systems, and perhaps neighboring systems
    • Regular updates of information databases, new, entertainment disseminated across the Federation-wide comnet
    • As a result of the wide span of the Federation network, new cultural shifts often proceed in measurable waves from the originating comnet
    • Social interaction paradigms very different in Federation era as a result; later equivalent of social networking platforms are often system-local, with implementations and culture varying widely from region to region, and what few wider platforms exist are very asynchronous