Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Inc.
     
        (BBN) A company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.  They were
        awarded the original contract to build the {ARPANET} and have
        been extensively involved in {Internet} development.  They are
        responsible for managing {NNSC}, {CSNET}, and {NEARnet}.
     
        (1994-10-07)
     
        [Butterfly?]