The Internet, but in space. The general architecture of the network is even more patchy, jury-rigged and insane than it was on Earth. Speaking broadly, habitats and individual planets/moons maintain their own eclectic mix of network technologies, and compile daily collated data packets for maser transmission to their neighboring nodes. Of course, things are rarely this straightforward, as individual powers may object to news content, refuse to use compatible protocols, or simply not maintain their equipment, delaying or completely interrupting transmission onward. This can mean it takes many months, if not years, for data to reach out as far as the furthest human settlements, if it even makes it that far at all.

Within the inner system and outer rim, the network is maintained and standards are 'enforced' by a public-private partnership called IRID (Institute of Reliable Interstellar Transmission). As of the last survey in 2245, they are recorded as having the highest rate of burn-out out of any known government department in human history.